Pink Rose; Joy Essential Oil

The Pains of Infertility

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Hi friend,

The week of April 19 is Infertility Awareness Week. 1 in 8 couples suffer with infertility.

Pink Rose; Joy Essential Oil

Photo Credit: Amanda Sengbusch

If you have gone through or are going through an infertility journey, my heart goes out to you. I’m so sorry you’re going through this. As a licensed acupuncturist, I’ve had my fair share of experiences with couples trying to conceive. I’m blessed with being able to have many women confide in me about their journey, and while their stories are unique to them (as with all things), some underlying feelings and emotions are quite similar.

A conversation regarding fertility:

“I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.”

“Actually if everyone could experience just a little bit of this, there would be a greater understanding of the pain that comes with the uncertainty of fertility.”

While I know there to be great graces with going through suffering, whatever form of suffering you may have experienced, the suffering part of life can be very devastating. Especially during the seasons of suffering. But I pray it’s only that… a season. And I pray your season blossoms into the most beautiful life you could imagine.

"The journey toward hope often begins with desperation" quote

COMFORT DURING INFERTILITY

If you are suffering, please take some comfort in knowing you’re not alone. If you’re not ready to talk about it or reach out to friends or family, there’s a lot of support in readings, devotions, bloggers, and health professionals. While everyone’s experience is different, for so many reasons, I believe the more you hear other stories, the more opportunity for you to help heal yourself.

PAINS OF INFERTILITY

  • The shock when you realize starting a family is taking longer than expected.
  • The disbelief in that this is actually happening.
  • The anger when you realize what you have wanted for your whole life, might not happen.
  • The researching into all the treatments, diets, protocols, supplements, herbs, meditations, medications, blood tests, surgeries, etc.
  • The depression, if even for a moment in time.
  • The loneliness felt at baby showers and birthday parties while trying to put on a brave face.
  • The sadness you feel when your friends and family are getting pregnant and you still don’t know why you’re not able to conceive.
  • The shame you feel for how you’re feeling about other people’s joy.
  • The upward turn when you find a new treatment, or a new reason as to why it maybe hasn’t happened before.
  • The acceptance that all things will work out, even if not how you previously envisioned.
  • The hope that it will be this cycle.

"My feelings and my faith will almost certainly come into conflict with each other" quote

HOW TO SUPPORT LOVED ONES THROUGH INFERTILITY

If you’re not going through this journey but you know friends or family members who are, as a licensed acupuncturist, my best recommendation would be to ask them what they need from you. They may not even know what they need from you, or their need may change daily, but just asking shows them that you don’t know what to do or say because you know nothing will make it better or change their outcome. And sometimes that’s all that’s needed. Just love and support. No one else can fix their situation but they just want other people to know… it just sucks.

With Faith, Hope, and Love,

Emily Kappelman 

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Loose leaf in a tea cup; lemon and ginger essential oil

What Brings You Joy?

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Hi Friends,

What brings you joy?

Some of you may know immediately. For others, you may have no idea… and that’s ok. I would start by giving yourself some grace, but then I would start to brainstorm and reflect on what brings you joy! Joy is such an important part of life and I feel it all too easily gets pushed to the waste side for the “more important things.” And especially with everything going on in the world right now… now is the perfect time to find the JOY!

Loose leaf in a tea cup; lemon and ginger essential oil

I really appreciate other peoples’ experiences and recommendations on what works for them, so I’m going to offer a couple different avenues to assist you in generating more joy. Brendon Burchard gives a great analogy of an energy plant… just as an energy plant doesn’t have energy, it generates energy. I would like to take this analogy and apply it to joy as well: Just like you have to generate energy, you have to generate joy.

MAKE A JOY LIST

This can be a list in your phone, in your calendar book, wherever you can look at it daily. This is a simple list of all the things that bring you joy.

My Joy List:

  • utilizing essential oils, herbs, and tea
  • blasting some upbeat music
  • dancing to said music
  • moving– walking, yoga, tai chi
  • calling a friend or family member
  • going for a walk
  • saying out loud all the things I appreciate
  • cuddling my dog or cat (they aren’t necessarily besties to allow both at once…yet)
  • reading about faith and mindset

MAKE A “MAKE ME LAUGH” PHOTO ALBUM

This is recommended by Brendon Burchard and with today’s smart phones I think this is such a brilliant idea! Go through your photos and videos and create a separate album purely to make you smile and laugh.

My Make Me Laugh Album Includes:

  • our dog, Zeus
  • our cat, Chip
  • all our nieces & nephews
  • my sisters, besties, and road trips 
  • of course my husband

MAKE A “PUMP ME UP” PLAYLIST

This is a recommendation from Rachel Hollis. She suggests creating a musical playlist of your favorite music to get you pumped up for your day. She mentions she’ll be listening to her playlist before she goes onstage at one of her many events.

While listening to exciting music is awesome, I prefer to take it one step further and dance/ move/ sing along. I’ve danced the majority of my life, and while I may not dance in a studio or on a dance team anymore, you just can’t stop dancing. Marie Forleo also says, “movement is magic” and dancing to music is so healing- for the entire mind, body, and spirit. I would have to say, I 100% agree with her.

My Pump Me Up Playlist Includes:

  • Andy Grammar- Honey, I’m Good
  • Ariana Grande- 7 Rings
  • George Ezra- a variety
  • Girl Talk- a variety
  • Songs from The Greatest Showman
  • Gusttavo Lima, Lenny, Dyland- Balada 
  • Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull- Dance Again
  • Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, Justin Bieber- Despacito- Remix 
  • Maroon 5- a variety 
  • Shakira- Waka Waka
  • Tiesto, Icona Pop- Let’s Go
  • And a bunch more… 

I love how every person could do these three suggestions and have something completely different! You can make these lists work for you, and only you! I encourage you to reflect on what helps you generate joy in your life. And I know the more you incorporate external avenues to help bring joy to you, it’ll be easier to generate the joy yourself.

It is however, completely possible, sometimes you may need to mix and match items from your lists. Sometimes one thing from my joy list may just not cut it… I’m human, with human emotions. But if you layer up on a couple different avenues or items, the joy has a better chance of increasing and snowballing. Hoping you can Bring The Joy this season.

With faith, hope, and love,

Emily Kappelman

*Photo Credit: Amanda Sengbusch

My Bookshelf: High Performance Habits

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Hi friends!
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How are you doing in this crazy time? What are you doing to ensure your whole being health? Whether you have more time on your hands with this whole COVID-19 thing or you have less time, it’s imperative to be conscious in your daily life.
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I wanted to share a book that has been life changing for me and has helped me be more conscious in my daily life. Brendon Burchard’s High Performance Habits book is AH-MAZING. Seriously, if you were to read one book this year, I would highly recommend HPH.
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0030_ High Performamce Habits
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After a couple intense traumas, including traumatic brain injuries, he realized we’ll all most likely ask three questions at the end of our life:
  • Did I live?
  • Did I love?
  • Did I matter?

From there he has spent his life researching and learning about coaching, high performers, neuroscience, wellness, basically all the things to improve your life. He’s a high performance coach for super high performers, like Olympians, presidents, and fortune 500 companies, so it seems he knows what he’s talking about. (:

This book illustrates the most important six habits of high performers. And what’s better, he provides tactical steps within the top six habits so you too can become a higher performer! Rest assured, even if you just focus on one habit, it’s shown improving in one area improves the others. Like the saying, “The rising tide lifts all boats.” 
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Brendon Burchard has so many avenues you can read and listen to his work. I thoroughly enjoy his podcast, The Brendon Show. The variety of topics he speaks on is outstanding and his recommendations are completely doable! You just have to make it a conscious decision and action.
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ToSucceedMainThingBB
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Whatever your passion, whatever your career, whatever your calling, I have full faith this book could help provide you with the tools to become the best you, you can be.
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With faith, hope, and love,
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Emily Kappelman
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Photo Credit: Amanda Sengbusch

Sending You a Virtual Hug & Sharing the Power of Thought

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What are you thinking right now? If you were to mentally check in with your thoughts every hour, what would the majority of your thoughts be?
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How do you think these thoughts affect your life, your energy?
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Outside of acupuncture, I’ve experienced a few energy sessions. This most current session was quite insightful about my own energy. While laying on a heated table with a few acupuncture points in, the practitioner held her hands gently over my temples and head. They just rested there. While talking to her she mentioned the energy she felt was very well balanced, rocking back and forth in a figure eight/ infinity pattern. This suggested to her the thoughts I was having and words I was saying really held true for me and I had a sense of peace about it. Then as I went off on a tangent of this particular topic (thinking and talking about my known triggers), she noticed the energy pull to one side, suggesting an imbalance.
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The energy in my body was literally disrupted when I had negative thoughts.
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Where thought goes
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This saying has never been so obvious to me.
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Friends, we have so many thoughts a day -> around 60,000-80,000.
And the majority of those thoughts are the SAME thoughts we’ve thought the day before, and the day before, etc.-> about 90%.
And the majority of these same thoughts are NEGATIVE-> about 80%.
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Now I’m no math wiz, but that’s a lot of negative thoughts!
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Imagine how engrained these thoughts get; how easy it is to have the same, negative thoughts day in and day out. But imagine, you have the power to change these thoughts, to create new neural pathways in your mind, to create the thoughts you want to have. 
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Now, I’m not saying it’s easy. It can be very difficult. But I know it’s possible. Just like with any natural remedy, when dealing with thoughts, the same thing rings true…
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Consistency is Key
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  • What’s one thought pattern you want to shift?

 

  • What’s one, not- so- nice thing you find yourself telling yourself daily, if not multiple times a day?

 

  • Now turn those words into a positive phrase. I don’t care if you don’t believe it, just humor me. (:

 

  • Commit to saying this positive phrase to yourself every hour. Set an alarm on your phone if you need to. Write it on a post it note and place it on your mirror, your fridge, your desk- wherever you will see it consistently.
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And watch how it actually creates a ripple effect of the thoughts you think, about yourself, about your family, about your life.

I pray you know you’re amazing and you are loved.

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Something To Ponder: What Saying Do You Hate?

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I know, I know, hate is a strong word. But the first time I heard this saying from Yoga with Adriene, it caused an emotional reaction in me. I thought, “no, this can’t possibly be true.” It brought on so many sad and angry emotions, I couldn’t get my head around the truth of it.
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everything is as it shoudl be
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After a couple years of reflecting, meditating, and praying, I can say I now find great comfort in this same saying. As a Christian, I know my comfort comes from trusting that God does have a plan for each and everyone of us. Our life and situation of events may not be what we want or what we think we deserve, or even what we would think would be kind, but if you look at it as exactly what you need, you’re able to start to suffer well. Suffering well is a whole other topic, more on that later.
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Every event and opportunity (whether good or unfortunate) allows you to pray for mercy, to find grace, to learn the lessons- so you may become the best version of yourself.
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I have to admit, I questioned whether I should share this, with all the current events happening (ahem, COVID-19). But if this saying is true for the good things in life, it has to be true for the bad things. 
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So whatever your life situation is right now, I pray you have some peace that God has your back, and everything is, as it should be. If this saying is hard for you to believe and brings up some terrible feelings, that’s ok. Please know you’re not alone. Reflect, meditate, pray, or just set aside some moments of silence. Sometimes the most productive thing we can do is nothing.
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If this saying resonates with you, wonderful! If not, that’s ok too. We’re all on our own journey. This is just something that has proven helpful and life changing for me.
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What quote or saying has been or still is difficult for you to see the truth in?

Oh What A Spring!

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I just love spring time! And what an interesting spring 2020 is turning out to be.
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I can’t help but mention COVID-19 and the impact it’s having on everyone. I feel it’s helpful to remind people, pandemics and plagues have been happening essentially since the beginning of time. I guess I never thought I’d get to experience one, but here we are. I pray you are able to find some peace in whatever situation you may be in. It’s encouraging to see how everyone is playing their part, however big or small, your actions make an impact…. what a great lesson for us all.
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0075_ The Yellow Emperors
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While there’s never an ideal time for pandemics, I feel it’s helpful it’s now officially SPRING!
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According to the Yellow Emperor, “Spring is the beginning of things, when the energy should be kept open and fluid.” So much budding, new life represents all the new possibilities unfolding and the energy is magical. 
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I grew up in Jester Park and the smell of fresh cut grass in the mornings while the birds sing their song of “spring’s here” is just the best way to start the day. The increased sunlight is definitely a positive as well. However, in Iowa it’s been quite rainy already.
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According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, “the three months of the spring season bring about the revitalization of all things in nature. It is the time of birth. This is when heaven and earth are reborn. This is the season in which the universal energy begins anew.”
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Recommendations to live with the season:
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Retire early, arise early.
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Go for walks to absorb the fresh energy. 
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Be open and unsuppressed:
  • physically: exercise more frequently, increase stretching to loosen up tendons and muscles, wear loose- fitting clothing
  • emotionally: develop equanimity
    • Spring is the season of the liver, which also comes with anger, frustration, depression, and sadness. Any emotion in excess can injure the liver. So being aware of your emotions is very important:
      • notice your thoughts
      • think about why you may be feeling this way
      • realize if it’s settling anywhere physically in your body
      • accept it as it is
      • believe it will pass when it’s time
      • and take deep belly breaths.
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While we are practicing social distancing, I think it’s more important than ever to follow the seasonal recommendations given to us from nature itself. This will only help our minds, bodies, and spirits in adjusting to and eventually thriving from this situation.
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What are your favorite things about Spring!? What at home activities are you implementing into your daily life?
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Photo Credit: Amanda Sengbusch

Living Intentionally in 2020

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Hi, I’m Emily, and I like to set New Year’s Resolutions. 🙂
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I know it may seem totally cliche, but I’m thankful for the very obvious time to pause, reflect, and make decisions to improve your quality of life, do things you’ve always wanted to do, and reduce things you know are toxic to your mind, body, and soul.
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0020_ Books
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Usually people give up by mid January or February… It’s March. How’s your intentions going?
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For 2020, my main focus is to live intentionally. This may look different to different people. But for me, this means being fully present in each moment, intentional with my time and thoughts, and reducing my multi-tasking ability. I know, I know… we’re all SOOO good at multi- tasking… while we may think this… there’s actually evidence to suggest otherwise.
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So while I may listen to music or a podcast while I drive or do dishes, or watch tv while I fold laundry, I’m really working on fully being present for any and every task I have to complete.
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A day where I was not intentional enough to not lose my earrings, but intentional enough to know exactly where they were was a great show of balance. Being intentional 100% of the time is difficult. We are programed to kind of go in auto- pilot. But being able to consciously check in with yourself and see if you’re truly experiencing this moment is a great start to living intentionally. And the more you do it, the easier it gets.
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Now, I’m not going to ask you what your Resolutions are for 2020, but I would sincerely recommend you check in with yourself.
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  • How was 2019 for you? 
  • What are some things you loved?
  • What are some things you could do without?
  • What are some things you’d like to include or increase in your life?
After reflecting on those questions, decide which area of your life you’d like to focus.
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  • It may be helpful to start small.
  • Pick one area of focus/ one word/ one intention.
  • Write it down, say it out loud, share with friends and family.
  • Emotionalize with your intention, feel what it would be to have it be so.
  • Be sure you’re thinking about it and feeling it daily.
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Watch how this “little” area of focus/ one word/ one intention, creates a ripple effect.
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It will have the power to change your environment, your life, your community, your world.
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Photo Credit: Amanda Sengbusch

Benefits of Traveling

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Oh vacations! While most people love to take vacations, I’m guessing most people also don’t get to travel as much as they’d like. Vacations are amazing for so many reasons. This past week we had the wonderful opportunity to travel to St. Augustine, Florida, and it was absolutely perfect.
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When you travel, I hope you
  • get to experience something unusual to your everyday life;
  • are able to witness and be a part of another culture;
  • have quality time and wonderful connections with your family, friends, or self- depending on who you’re traveling with;
  • eat amazing food;
  • are able to sleep well, rest often, and move regularly;
  • relax your mind from work and your usual daily life;
  • get an emotional reset;
  • have a lovely spiritual experience.

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What are some of your favorite things about vacations and traveling!?
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St. Augustine, Florida

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St. Augustine Catholic Church

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St. Augustine Lighthouse

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Castillo de San Marcos

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Midday

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Sunset

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Post Sunset

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Sunrise

How to Find a Licensed Acupuncturist

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So you’ve heard about acupuncture and have an inkling to try it, but where do you start?
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I want to stress the importance of receiving acupuncture from a licensed acupuncturist. While other professionals may perform acupuncture, the theory and techniques we learn from our 3-4 year program, 700 hours plus in clinical experience, and studying and passing 3-4 national board exams, is quite amazing and has so much to offer in increasing your quality of life. 
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0041_ Needle Application
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While each state’s rules and regulations for practicing acupuncture vary, it’s important you check the acupuncturist’s credentials. Licensed acupuncturists in the state of Iowa must have completed 3 years of post secondary training at an accredited acupuncture college, be a current diplomate in the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), and must have completed a Clean Needle Technique (CNT) course approved by the NCCAOM. After those three steps are completed, they may apply to be licensed in the state of Iowa. Only then can they practice acupuncture as a licensed acupuncturist!

To find nationally certified licensed acupuncturists in your city or state, search the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) website. https://directory.nccaom.org/

Just like in any other profession, every acupuncturist is different. Don’t be afraid to seek out different acupuncturists to find the one that’s the perfect fit for you!

Photo Credit: Amanda Sengbusch

National Time Refund Day

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February 29th! Leap year means you have an entire extra day in 2020. What are you going to spend your extra time doing? I sincerely hope you’re able to spend it doing at least one thing that brings you joy!
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0019_ Books Plant and Salt Lamp Banner
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However, I know the reality for many people will be another day doing the daily grind. At least it’s a Saturday so hopefully people feel they can celebrate a little bit. You don’t have to have a crazy party (but if you want to, don’t let me stop you!) but just be aware of the “extra” time, be thankful, and do something fun.
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Your time is valuable. As my gal pal Rachel Hollis says, “If it’s not a HELL YES, than it’s a NO!” And no, I’m not gal pals with Rachel Hollis (how cool would it be though!?) but her advice is sound. And this really got me thinking about things I just say yes to because I feel I should. I know throughout the years this has totally been me… a yes girl. But I’m working on being grounding, having clarity, and strengthening my backbone (which my dad has always encouraged his girls to have).
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I pray you:
– Know your value
– Be thankful for the time you have
– Do at least one thing every day which brings you joy
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Happy National Time Refund Day!
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Photo Credit: Amanda Sengbusch