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“It’s important to be heroic, ambitious, productive, efficient, creative, and progressive, but these qualities don’t necessarily nurture soul.  The soul has different concerns, of equal value: downtime for reflection, conversation, and reverie; beauty that is captivating and pleasuring; relatedness to the environs and to people; and any animals rhythm of rest and activity.” ~Thomas Moore In order to feel good each day, it is essential to nurture yourself. This begins when you treat yourself very well and you feel good as a result of that treatment. You may want to take a bath, get a massage, go for a walk in nature, buy yourself flowers, or meditate. To begin this lifelong process, ask yourself each day, “What can I do for myself today that would make me feel good?” Then follow through with taking action. The more you nurture yourself, the more you will decrease stress. We are the most peaceful when we are free from stress and we feel good. If nurturing yourself is new for you, this may feel uncomfortable at first. Keep doing it until it becomes your new habit. Once you are in the habit of nurturing yourself, the rewards will be too great to ever go back to neglecting yourself in this way.   “Invent your world. Surround yourself with people, color, sounds, and work that nourish you.” ~Sark If you like nature, go to your favorite park for fifteen minutes. Sit on a bench and take in all the beauty around you. By the time you leave the park, you will feel noticeably better, even after fifteen minutes! Gradually increase your time at this peaceful place. I will sometimes go to the beach for a short period of time after a long, busy day. While I am at the beach, I feel more peaceful and my stress simply melts away. By the time I leave, I feel great! This is a gift that I can only give to myself. If you like music, listen to your favorite songs that are uplifting. What one thing can you do to nurture yourself today? Stop making excuses for why you cannot nurture yourself. We all can make the excuse that we are too busy. This excuse will continue to increase your stress and make you unhappy. Everyone has fifteen minutes a day to nurture themselves! Give this gift to yourself!

“Everyone has in him something precious that is in no one else.” — Martin Buber   If you struggle with overcoming perfectionism, you are not alone. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look your best and have things be a certain way. However, when you feel horrible because you or your life is not perfect, then you are not loving yourself. Instead, you are keeping yourself in an emotional prison. Self-love and self-acceptance will set you free. The truth is, you and your life will never be perfect. You can live a beautiful life and feel great about yourself, even though things will never be perfect. By thinking that you or your life must be perfect in order for you to feel good, not only are you abusing yourself, you are also squashing your own joy. When you are not experiencing self-love, you will hold on to wanting everything to be perfect. It is common to believe that if only everything were perfect, then you would not have to feel the uncomfortable feelings you have inside. Instead, you would feel great joy from the perfection that is in your life. Not true. How many people on this planet have everything they ever wanted and yet they are miserable on the inside? Millions! When you are happy on the inside, you will free yourself from trying to be perfect. You deserve to be free from this harmful view of your life. Set yourself free! From Norma Campbell’s book, I Matter

We all can benefit from learning the natural ways to deal with anxiety disorder. This is especially evident when you step out of your comfort zone and it stirs up that negative feeling. Another example might be how a great majority of people get anxious when they go on an airplane or if they speak in front of an audience. We all wish this feeling would completely disappear. But often it doesn’t.  Whether you have mild or severe anxiety, there are many things you can do to decrease this as much as possible. Below is a list of thirty-three effective ways to deal with anxiety that I teach my patients. After many of my patients master this list, their anxiety is almost entirely gone.  Take the example of one thirty-two-year-old woman that I counseled who had so much anxiety that it kept her from dating. She was also barely able to work and function. As we worked together, her anxiety began to decrease and she was no longer terrified each day that she was going to run someone over with her car. Once her anxiety greatly decreased and she was feeling good, I encouraged her to start dating. She was nervous to start dating; however, she took action and began online dating. Sure enough, she immediately connected with the love of her life. She is now happily married and doing fantastic! She knows how to keep her anxiety under control and is no longer afraid of anything. If this list of thirty-three natural ways to deal with anxiety disorder could work for her, and many of my other patients, then it can work for you as well.   To begin, circle everything that you are currently doing on the list. Then pick one thing that you did not circle and begin doing that today. Once you master that one thing, pick something else that you can master. Keep doing this until you are doing everything on this list. Be patient with yourself.  It does not matter how long it takes. Just take one baby step at a time toward decreasing your anxiety. The more you do these things, the more you will be able to enjoy your life and be at peace. (Please check with your doctor to rule out whether or not your anxiety is health related. If so, this needs to be addressed first). Thirty-Three Natural Ways to Deal with Anxiety: Keep your thoughts positive. Whenever you ask yourself a “what if” question, tell yourself “Stop It.” Stay focused on the moment. Write your thoughts and feelings in a journal. De-stress often. Rate your stress from one to ten each day. When your stress is more than a six, immediately de-stress. Exercise at least four days a week. (Talk to you doctor about finding an exercise program that is right for you). Eat Well. Avoid caffeine and sugar. Limit your intake of alcohol (With high anxiety, it is best not to drink alcohol at all.) Stretch for ten minutes a day. Meditate. Do deep breathing (Slowly Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.) Take time to rest every day. Be kind to yourself at all times. Set boundaries. Set limits on the amount of time you spend with someone who is draining. Say no when something is not right for you. Stop people-pleasing. Break things down into manageable parts. Give yourself permission to take care of yourself in every situation. Surround yourself with people who make you feel good. Work through unresolved feelings/situations. Do things that add joy to your life. Listen to soothing music. Put yourself in nature. Visualize what you want for five minutes a day. Ask for what you want. Let other people help you. Delegate whenever you can. Put limits on how much you give. Be your own best friend. A great way to stay motivated with accomplishing the goal of mastering this list is to reward yourself every time you succeed with doing one thing . What are some ways that you can reward yourself? Perhaps a relaxing bath or watching a good movie will be a good reward. You also need to reward yourself once you master the entire list. How are you going to ultimately reward yourself? This reward needs to be a big reward. Maybe you can treat yourself to a massage or go away for the weekend. Be sure that this reward excites you! Warmest, Norma Campbell

There are many reasons anger management tips are useful. When someone does something to hurt you, this can stir up anger. Getting a parking ticket when there is no visible sign that says you cannot park there will get most of us angry. In fact, we have all felt angry at some point. If you are uncomfortable with anger, then remind yourself that suppressing this feeling is not healthy. There may be a part of you that is too uncomfortable processing anger because it is “bad” to be angry. The bad thing about anger has to do with dealing with this emotion in destructive ways. Keep in mind that if you deal anger in healthy ways you will feel good and prevent negative outcomes. People who have trouble processing their anger in healthy ways can cause damage in their relationships and they are likely to experience anxiety and depression. Here are ten healthy ways that you can get rid of anger: Calmly talking about your anger with someone who is supportive of you. Exercising. Being in nature. Doing artwork. (Paint or draw how you are feeling). Visualization Meditation. (My Embracing Inner Peace CD can greatly help you to release anger). Punching a punching bag for ten minutes. Popping a balloon. (Try popping the balloon with your hands and not your fingers). Popping bubble wrap. Listening to music that expresses how you feel. Writing an anger letter. (After you write the letter, rip it up in tiny pieces and throw it away). Yelling in your car while you visualize the person or situation you are angry at in the passenger’s seat. Do this while your car is parked and no one is around. There is no need to spend more than one hour in any given day processing anger. You may discover that you only need ten or fifteen minutes at a time to get rid of this feeling. After you release anger, do something nurturing for yourself. You may want to read a good book or watch a funny movie. The more you release your anger in healthy ways, the better you will feel! What tips do you have for releasing anger? We’d love to hear them. Please comment below.

living an extraordinary life image Have you ever noticed that what you wear impacts how you feel?  If not, you really need to as it certainly does! You can be living an extraordinary life and yet you can feel lousy because your jeans are too tight, your shirt is too big, or that sweater is still uncomfortable no matter what you do. When you think about it more, we all have that one piece of clothing that we feel fabulous in and we love to wear when we want to feel great. But oftentimes it’s only those few pieces of clothing. Why not feel great in everything you own? Last year, I decided to do an experiment. I paid close attention to how EVERYTHING I wore made me feel. I decided if something did not make me feel good, then I was either going to donate it or throw it out, no matter what. In fact, when I purchased a new suit to only discover hours later after wearing it for the first time that I did not like how the suit made me feel, I tried to convince myself that there was no way I was going to get rid of a suit I just bought! Then I remembered the promise I made to myself. I also thought that perhaps the woman who gets my suit may need it for an interview. That helped me to release my struggle. Besides, how was I truly going to be successful with seeing what happens when I ONLY wore things that made me  feel good if I kept wearing a suit that only made me feel uncomfortable? This wasn’t an easy experiment, especially as my clothes closet kept shrinking before my eyes. However, I was determined to be successful with accomplishing my goal, no matter how many times I had to wear the same thing over again. I figured that at least I would feel good wearing whatever clothes I had after this experiment. I truly never paid so much attention to how so many things I owned did not make me feel good. I even noticed how certain pieces of jewelry did not feel right. Those were tossed in the donation bags as well. Due to my wardrobe decreasing rapidly, this forced me to be creative. I took six dresses that did not fit me right and I had my seamstress make them into shirts. I made sure that my new shirts were the perfect length for my body. I cannot tell you how many compliments I have received from my new shirts! It was also fun telling family and friends that the shirt they love was actually a dress before my seamstress performed magic. I even had my seamstress transform four pairs of my jeans into shorts. I then began to mix and match my clothes unlike never before. My creativity did not stop there. I even transformed some of my necklaces that I was not excited about into bracelets that I love! As I began to be more creative with my clothes, I actually felt as though I had a new wardrobe. After doing this experiment for one year, I was finally wearing everything that made me feel great. . Why not try this experiment yourself? Over the next year, become aware of how everything you put on your body makes you feel. If you do not feel great in what you are wearing, then donate it. As you start to get rid of things, why not become creative as I did? This will definitely make 2013 more fun and exciting! Plus, you will feel better than ever before and you will notice an improvement in numerous areas in your life, not just with your clothes.

“It is always with excitement that I wake up in the morning wondering what my intuition will toss up to me, like gifts from the sea. I work with it and rely on it. It’s my partner.” ~Dr. Jonas Salk   One of the greatest ways to love yourself, be in your power, and to create an extraordinary life is by learning how to develop intuition. You may be out of practice with listening to your intuition, but YOU ARE INTUITIVE! If you are not in the habit of listening, then this will take some effort on your part. Practice until you can do this easily. All your efforts will be worth experiencing the good that comes from having your inner voice guide you each day. The guidance you receive from your intuition can help you to set healthy boundaries, solve difficulties very quickly, and put your mind at rest. How would your life be different if you always listened to your intuition? Would you stop relying on others to tell you what they think is right for you? Only you and the Universe truly know what is right for you! Your life would certainly be filled with more inner peace and happiness if you followed your intuition. You would no longer doubt what you think is best for you. A great way to slowly tap into your intuition is by paying close attention to your inner world. Most people are so focused on what is occurring in their outer world that they fail to listen within. Take a few minutes each day to see how you feel about the small things in life. Quietly ask yourself, “How am I feeling about that right now?” When you get a small gut reaction, know that this is your intuition speaking to you. It is important to pay close attention to those reactions because they are always right! When was the last time you got in touch with that special place within yourself that has all your answers? Perhaps this is new for you. Over the next week, also pay close attention to how you feel in each interaction. Your intuition will speak to you through your feelings. Notice what feels right and does not feel right to you. When someone asks you to do something, become aware  of how you feel. If something is not right for you, honor yourself by saying, “no.” Your intuition is there to serve you. The only way you can fully let it serve you is by honoring what you know is right for you. The more you begin to do what is right for you, the louder your intuition will become. Once you master checking  in with yourself to see what your intuition has  to say, your intuition will automatically begin to speak to you. At that point all of your efforts will have paid off and all you need to do is listen. Begin today to develop this amazing gift you were given.   Warmest, Norma Campbell

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” —Alice Walker Being in your power means listening to your intuition, following your intuition, trusting yourself, trusting life, and standing up for yourself, without allowing anyone to convince you that what you are thinking, feeling, or doing is wrong. When you are fully in your power, not only will you feel internally strong, but no one will be able to take advantage of you. You will take great care of yourself in any given situation, regardless of how others respond. You will also stand firm on what you believe is right and you will set healthy boundaries. People who are living an extraordinary life are in their power. Here is a list of things that you can do each day. The more you do these things on the list, the more you will be strengthening your inner power. Listening to my intuition. Honoring my intuition. Saying “no” when I need to. Standing up for myself when someone tries to take advantage of me. No longer allowing anyone to use me. No longer pleasing others at my expense. Thinking positively. Speaking kindly to my adult self and my inner child. Being happy. Feeling good. You owe it to yourself to create a life of peace, joy, and happiness. Being in your power will help you achieve this life. When people are not in their power, they often experience turmoil, drama, and joylessness. Even though it may take a while for you to be fully in your power, keep working toward this goal every day. Take one baby step at a time. You will get there! Once you are in your power, your life will never be the same. If you would like to gain powerful tools that will help you to be in your power, you may want to pick up a copy of my book called Healing the Human Heart: Tools and Techniques for a Happy Life. Simply go to the Products page of this Web site in order to get a copy. I wish you much peace and happiness! Warmest, Norma Campbell

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive,and then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~Harold Thurman Whitman   Here are three steps on how to deal with depression. The first action to take is to feed your spirit. You may not feel like doing much when you are depressed. However, make one small goal for yourself each day. Begin by making the goal of feeding your inner spirit for fifteen minutes a day. Then gradually increase your time. Your long-term goal will be to feed your inner spirit twice a day for at least fifteen minutes. Feeding your inner spirit requires something more powerful than just nurturing yourself, since it directly impacts your heart. Just as you need to eat daily, you need to feed your inner spirit daily. You may need to feed your spirit more than once a day. If you are not feeling peaceful or you are irritated, this means that you have neglected to feed your spirit. Nature is a great way to feed your spirit and it requires very little effort on your part. All you need to do is appreciate the beauty around you and you will be fed.  When has nature fed your spirit? Where were you?  What were you doing? When is the next time you plan on letting nature feed you?  Try this little experiment. Over the next two weeks, put yourself in nature at least two times a day for fifteen minutes. At the end of the two weeks, write down how being in nature has helped you. Once you become fully aware of how beneficial nature is, make this your new habit. Giving to others is another great way to nourish yourself. Call a friend who is going through a hard time; volunteer at a local shelter or food bank. Your spirit will ALWAYS be fed when you give from the heart. Nothing but joy comes when you give from the heart. Reading or listening to something that inspires you will surely feed your spirit. How about listening to inspirational music as you head off to work in the morning? How often do you start your day by reading inspirational quotes? How do you feed yourself spiritually on a daily basis?

“If you want it, you’ve got it; You’ve just got to believe in yourself.” ~Hussein Nishah When you believe in yourself, then it will be a lot easier for you to work toward living an extraordinary life. The most important person to believe in you is YOU! If we allow anyone’s negative comments and opinions to affect us, then we will set ourselves up for failure by giving up on our goals and dreams. Just today, I had an acquaintance tell me that I should give up my dream of helping millions of people to heal, since I have been working so hard toward this goal and investing a lot of money, without seeing too many results. As with most things, we just need to be patient with the process, as we work toward accomplishing our goals and heart’s desires. In the past, I would have let that comment affect me to the point where I would have convinced myself that this person was right and that I was just fooling myself to think that I would be able to help so many people to heal. Now that I believe in myself, I am taking that comment and I am using it as fuel to help me to be even more motivated and determined to accomplish my goal. How about you, do you let people’s negative comments and opinions discourage you to the point where you give up working on your goals and heart’s desires? When you give up because of other’s comments and opinions, then you are disempowering yourself. Take your power back and work on your goals and your heart’s desires. As you do this, also look in the mirror several times a day and tell yourself that you can do it and that you believe in yourself. Within a few months, you are likely to notice a dramatic increase in how much you believe in yourself. Give it a try! As you work toward believing in yourself, it is a must to set healthy boundaries. Decide which people will be able to support you on your journey toward living an extraordinary life and which people are likely to negatively impact you. It is best not to share your thoughts with others who are only going to discourage you. If you do not have people in your life who are supportive of you, then join a group where you are likely to receive an unlimited supply of encouragement and support.

Celebrate what you want to see more of. ~Thomas J. Peters People who are living an extraordinary life have learned it is important to celebrate yourself. When was the last time you celebrated yourself or your successes? Perhaps this idea never occurred to you. From today forward, ask yourself, “How would I like to celebrate that success?” Then follow through with taking action. When deciding how you are going to celebrate, keep in mind that your celebration needs to make you feel good. I like to celebrate my successes by eating my favorite meal and buying myself a little present. During my celebration time, I get really excited knowing that I was able accomplish my goal. I take in the joy from this as much as possible, without letting anyone squash my joy balloon. In the past, I used to share my joy with everyone I knew and many people would instantly squash my joy since they were so unhappy. Today, I set healthy boundaries with others where they simply can’t take away from my celebration. You may have been struggling financially for years. When you are out of debt, how are you going to celebrate? You have extra weight to lose. How are you going to celebrate when you are at your goal weight? Plan in as much detail as possible how you are going to celebrate each success. Do you feel great joy, excitement and happiness when you think about how you are going to celebrate your successes? If not, then adjust your plans to celebrate so that you do feel this. Do not put off celebrating yourself and your successes. The more you focus on the positives about your life, the more you will experience great joy and peace. Once you get in the habit of celebrating yourself and your successes, this will add a positive spark to your life! Warmest, Norma Campbell