5 Ways to Feel Good in 5 Seconds

In accordance with what has turned into "Feel-Good Friday" I thought it would be nice to have a short and sweet post about ways you can make yourself feel good in only 5 seconds! 5 seconds doesn't sound like a lot of time, but if you think about it, 5 seconds is a decent amount of time to get all of these things done if you commit to it wholly for the full time. I mean, we're all busy; even those "Get Abs in 20 Minutes a Day" things seem like they take too much time. So take 5 seconds! These are not methods that I have researched or have necessarily been scientifically proven; they're just things I do when I want to turn my day around and feel happy!

Don't know who did the original,
but I absolutely love this!

1. Smile at yourself. This one can have a huge effect on you. If you live alone or you don't see the person you live with in the morning, starting off with a smile from yourself is actually a great way to greet the day! Think about a silly joke, make a funny face, or remember a time when you laughed really hard. Make sure those eyes crinkle at the corners! Smiling with just your mouth doesn't do it.
Caveat: While looking in the mirror, do not focus on what you don't like about what you see. That will just make you stay sad or grumpy.

http://www.letsmove.gov

2. Get moving! Now, if you take 5 seconds to get off the couch, you can't count that as the 5 seconds of moving! Once standing, run to the other end of the room you're in and back. Or do 9 jumping jacks in 5 seconds. Or drop to the ground, do a push-up (a real one; no knee push-ups!), and then jump up as high as you can (don't do this one if you have low-blood pressure, because you might pass out). Do something that wakes you up quickly--then go do your regular gym routine that takes longer than 5 seconds. :)

So cute!

3. Tell yourself you're great. We don't have cheerleaders to get our confidence up, 5 seconds are definitely enough time to give yourself a decent pep talk. Tell yourself why you like yourself and mean it! Feel that confidence boost and take it with you for the rest of the day!

funnyjunk.com

4. Take your vitamins! Half the time research says vitamins are good for you, half the time they're supposedly bad for you. All I'm saying is that when I take mine, I feel better than when I don't take them. And it takes literally 5 seconds. Well, unless you get the giant horse pill kind...those take longer to swallow. ;)

My kittens!

5. Feel love. There are three options for this one. Choose whichever one is right for you.

• For the people in love with someone else: Feel it and embrace it!!! You know exactly what I mean about love making you feel good.
• For the people who don't believe in love with other people and now think this post is ridiculous since I brought up love: Remember the feeling you got when you fell in love with something, whether it be your job, your hobby, your cat, your favorite TV show, anything! Feel that excitement and joy and contentment.
• For the people who feel like they should be in love because they used to be, but aren't anymore (this can pertain to a person or a thing or a situation): Why did you fall in love the first time? Let that feeling completely envelop you. Maybe you'll get that little spark back! :) Take it with you!

I hope all of you have a great weekend! Thank you for making this week such a great one for me! This blog and all of the feedback I get makes me feel great because I know you guys are reading it and it helps some people. :) I really appreciate it! Writing it takes a little longer than 5 seconds, but it still makes me feel good!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Social Media: Overshare?

Wow! I just have to say "thank you" to everyone who read yesterday's post--there were over 300 views yesterday alone, and now I'm up over 2,200 total! I've only had this blog up for a month and I am just so excited that it's getting such positive feedback!

I got to thinking about why my blog is doing so well and realized that I would be completely unknown without social networking sites. (Granted, the photos yesterday didn't hurt my views, but I don't really think that's the reason people read my blog.) This morning, I heard that Justin Timberlake is revitalizing Myspace and launching it soon. This is the link to "The New Myspace" preview video. It looks like it's going to be a music sharing/event making/store/hanging out site. In light of this event, I got to looking at the social media scene, and all of the sites I'm on and what I use them for.

http://www.solveitmedia.com

Facebook: This is definitely the social media site I spend the most time on. I am connected with my family who lives all over the U.S., friends from all over the world, and people I've met at professional conferences or educational events.
Pros: Easy to connect with family. Great photo uploading. User friendly.
Cons: It seems boring; I've been on it for over five years and I don't know if it's because I'm older and have better things to do than creep on people or if the site is really just losing its luster, but it's not as interesting as it used to be. Also, I never know what privacy setting has changed; I feel like I read the "terms" every week just to make sure I'm not missing something.

Twitter: I love Twitter for updates that seem kind of silly. I don't necessarily need to post a whole Facebook status about it, but I still want to share or comment.
Pros: Super easy to use. Easier than FB to connect with celebs.

Cons: From what I've observed, people spend less time reading profiles on Twitter, so it's harder to promote yourself or a product. It's also kind of impersonal; just a list of random one-liners.

http://www.emersonsocialmedia.com

Google+: I only use Google+ for promoting my blog and work-related stuff. (Also, I have YouTube; love that.)

Pros: It's connected to Blogger. Hangouts look like fun.

Cons: It's not user-friendly at all. I really don't like the way it's organized. Also, it's not as clean as FB so a lot of people didn't switch/add Google+ when it came out, because why should they? They have a social networking site that they know and love.

Pinterest: LOVE! :) This is pretty much how I'm planning my wedding and getting ideas for what I want to do with my apartment. I love this site.

Pros: It's so easy to use. It's fun. There are so many links to other sites I would never find with out Pinterest.

Cons: Every single thing you pin shows up under your name if you Google yourself. Interesting. 

Recovery Record: BEST APP EVER for people recovering from eating disorders! I use it every day and try to log all my meals! It's great.

Pros: You get rewards (songs) for logging your meals. You can "pair-up" with someone else and give them virtual gifts. It's FREE. You get encouragement emailed to you if you don't log for a couple days and it's really sweet. It's exciting and makes you want to log your meals and get better. It's customizable for your particular needs.

Cons: Again, pseudonyms are the only thing allowed, so you can't really connect with people even if they sound super cool. Sometimes there are glitches and you don't get them fixed until they send out an update.

http://hazellcottrell.com/category/social-media/

Little Monsters: Joined it yesterday to promote my blog since it was about Lady Gaga.

Pros: If you love Gaga, that's the place to be. It's nice to see young people coming together and sharing their problems without any criticism or bullying.

Cons: It is so emo. I'm a little old for the site, I think. 

LinkedIn: Professional social networking site. I have one, but don't use it a whole lot.

Pros: My resume is uploaded. Everyone can see my qualifications for jobs.

Cons: I've had this site for 5 years and have never had someone call me for a job.

The Knot: Wedding site!!! :)

Pros: It has so many ideas! We can have our own wedding site and blog. It gives you a timeline and to do list!

Cons: Honestly, I don't know if it's worth it. I have found a lot more ideas on Pinterest than The Knot, and I have this blog, why would I make another one? 

Fitocracy: This is like an RPG for fitness! It's awesome! I use it every time I work out.

Pros: You don't have to use your real name. You can upload photos. You can give other people "props." Join fitness events in your area. Join groups that relate to your fitness goals.

Cons: Doesn't tell you why you get more points for some exercises and less for others. There aren't a lot of people on it yet, so you have to mostly connect with people you don't know.

PatientsLikeMe: Track your symptoms and see other users who are going through the same thing! I used this a lot when I started having more medical problems. I don't use it much anymore, but I really liked it.

Pros: Awesome graphs. Tons of conditions listed.

Cons: No real names allowed, so if you really want to talk to someone about something, you don't really have a way to do that. Not very user friendly.

http://nowsourcing.com/2010/03/17/social-media-infographic/

So, these are all the social sites I'm on. Social media and social networking is great, but this is kind of crazy! I know that it's the only reason my blog is read, but at the same time, I don't go out and hang out with people, because I'm working on my profiles all the time. Also, none of these are private! Anyone can search and find all of this about me. I don't regret any of it; I feel like I've been very true to myself and I'm honest on everything. It just seems a little bit creepy that I've allowed all of these sites to have access to my information and keep it even after I cancel my accounts.

Our world is moving forward so quickly and social media and social networking is a HUGE part of it! It seems like being social is the exact opposite now of what it used to be: You used to have to try to be noticed; now you have to try really hard to stay anonymous. So, my life is pretty much displayed online; that's typical for our generation. But is it safe? Is it smart? When is privacy more important than sharing everything online?

myspace.com

I asked for an invite to the new Myspace. :)

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Anorexia: Lady Gaga and Me

Lady Gaga looking fabulous!

Lady Gaga has started a "Body Revolution 2013." She's been getting a lot of media attention lately for some photos of her on tour. It looks like she has gained a significant amount of weight and the media is ripping her apart. Gaga is taking this chance to tell her followers about her struggle with her weight for the last 11 years; also, that she has been a victim of anorexia and bulimia. She has posted some photos that show her as she is, without all the costumes and corsets. And, may I be the next in line to say that she looks fantastic! She is encouraging women and girls, as well as men, everywhere to be comfortable with their bodies and share their photos online. She is opening up about how it's more important to be healthy than to be super-skinny like the media pushes all of us to be. I love this!!! To be honest, I'm not a die-hard Gaga fan; I don't really listen to pop music all that much. This really got my attention, though! It's exactly what girls need: someone they admire and respect to say "enough" to the way women feel less-than if we're not uber-skinny like all the women we see on TV and in magazines.

Lady Gaga looks amazing!

The reason I like this campaign so much is that it is about health and loving who you are, not only about loving what you look like. While I really like the idea of loving what you look like, I feel like that can be used as a cop-out instead of working to get healthy. "Healthy" does not necessarily mean "skinny." Lady Gaga looks healthy and I think she looks pretty damn good. Is she a size 0? No. But so what? When did we get so stuck on having "little stick figures with poofy lips*" as our role models when it comes to what we look like?

I have struggled with anorexia for years, just like Lady Gaga and thousands of other women and girls have. I wanted so desperately to fit in, I felt terribly out of control, and I thought that if I was a 00 I would be pretty and popular (I didn't even know 00 was a size until I moved back to the States, but the second I knew it was, I had to be that size). I was known but I wasn't popular. Was I pretty? I don't think so...I was bony. I don't even have photos of myself during the first few years of it because I hated my body so much. Was I in control? Sure, of what I ate, but the further I went along the road, the more out of control I felt. I passed out at inopportune moments, I had the lowest self-esteem I've ever had, and I did things that were hurtful to myself and others to keep my struggle secret. Am I completely over it? No. I don't know if those of us who have experienced anorexia or bulimia ever really "get over it" like so many people who haven't gone through it think we should. But I fight every day to keep moving forward.

Now, I am 5'3" and I weigh 108 pounds. I'm a size 2 and I've "grown out" of most of my XS shirts. I have literally spent hours crying over this. Crying over being a size 2, because now I'm "fat." Crying about weighing more than 100 pounds because I used to weigh 97 so that must mean that I'm fat, now that I'm 11 pounds heavier. Crying over the fact that I can't wear super-teeny t-shirts that tiny pre-pubescent sixth graders are wearing. But I know that what I'm doing now is the right thing. I do yoga every day. I work out 3-6 times a week. I see a psychologist once a week. I eat at least 1600 calories a day. I should probably be eating more than that. It is still so hard. But I am getting better.

This is an epidemic the size of which a lot of people do not realize. Keep talking about it, keep sharing your stories, keep trying to get better, keep sharing your photos with Lady Gaga! Let's have a media take-over of women who love their healthy bodies! We've all heard of Take Back the Night; let's Take Back the Media! In keeping with what I'm preaching here, I suppose I owe this post a photo.

Me, Body Revolution 2013.

It is actually surprisingly hard to share this. It took me about 30 minutes to get a photo of myself that I could tolerate and I'm still finding problems with this one. I am so self-conscious and I don't like everyone seeing this. But if Lady Gaga can do it, I can, too. You can, too, at LittleMonsters.com.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

*Edna Mode, "The Incredibles"

Replacement Refs Taking Away from NFL

Monday Night Football is an American tradition; something millions of us look forward to at the end of the longest day of the week. But this season, Monday Night Football has taken a turn for the worse. Last night, the worst call in NFL history was made during the Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks game, costing the Packers the game. This is the play and the call that has caused the controversy. The rookie quarterback Russell Wilson throws a Hail Mary pass to the end zone. Golden Tate (the Seahawks receiver) pushes Green Bay defender Sam Shields down while Green Bay safety Jennings catches the ball and pulls it to his chest, therefore having an interception and a touchback. But Tate had a hand on it as Jennings caught the ball with both hands and by the time they got to the ground, Tate had two hands on the ball. The refs called it a "simultaneous catch"and in that situation, it goes to the passers. As you can see from the video, though, it was NOT a simultaneous catch!

This is the latest and most serious call in a series of terrible calls from replacement referees. These are small college and public school referees. The best college referees have jobs to do: calling the best college teams' games correctly. The real NFL referees are in a labor dispute with the NFL. They want higher pay for the work the NFL wants them to do, they want to keep their current pension plan, and they want better job security This Bleacher Report article breaks down what the referees want. In the article, Schottey states, "The actual dollar-and-cents difference between the NFL and its officials is a problem smaller than both sides would admit." LA Times writer Bill Plaschke says in this article, "When you crunch the numbers, if the NFL gave the locked-out referees everything they wanted, it would cost about $100,000 extra per team per season. That equals about four games' pay for one of a team's lowest-paid players." He doesn't give his source on that and I don't know where to find the "numbers" he is talking about, but it's probably accurate. 

These are just some of the tweets that were posted last night (taken from this ESPN story):

Tom Crabtree

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@TCrabtree83

13th man beat us tonight.

25 Sep 12

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cj wilson

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@cjwilson95

Can't believe this.. Never seen anything like it.

25 Sep 12

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MikeMcKenzie34ways

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@MikeMcKenzie34w

If the refs can do that than @JonVilma51 should be able to play next game .....

24 Sep 12

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DARNELL DOCKETT

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@ddockett

This is what the NFL has come down to, &yet they tell you to respect the shield! Lol. But they'll try to fine us for everything thing we do.

25 Sep 12

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LeBron James

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@KingJames

These replacement refs gotta go man!! Packers just got game took from them. I LOVE NFL football to much to see this type of work.

24 Sep 12

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Tony Gonzalez

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@TonyGonzalez88

I've been saying give the refs a break but that TD call was ridicules. How do you miss that? Pop Warner refs would have gotten that right.

25 Sep 12

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Jason Taylor

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@JasonTaylor

Embarrassment for everyone at the NFL. This ref mess is costing people games and is gonna cost someone their health and a JOB soon! #shame

24 Sep 12

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Drew Brees

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@drewbrees

I love this league and love the game of football, but tonight’s debacle hurts me greatly. This is NOT the league we’re supposed to represent

25 Sep 12

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Reggie Bush

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@reggie_bush

Refs single handedly blew this one...

24 Sep 12

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Chris Harris

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@ChrisHarrisNFL

For the NFL to tell u as the fans there is nothing wrong with these officials is a slap in the face to u!!!! #ReplacementRefs

25 Sep 12

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Mark Cuban

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@mcuban

I would love to see what my reaction would be if a Mavs game ended like #MNF. #Expensive #NBAtime

25 Sep 12

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Arian Foster

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@ArianFoster

Drama. Great for business. Godspeed, Ed Hochuli.

25 Sep 12

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Aaron Curry

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@AaronCurry51

4 yrs, 4 staffs, each staff coached: "DO NOT try to intercept it! BAT IT DOWN"

25 Sep 12

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Paul Allen

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@PaulGAllen

Crazy last play @Seahawks win. Amazing game by D pass rush, special teams and heave by @DangeRussWilson and@ShowtimeTate catch! Wow.

25 Sep 12

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bubba watson

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@bubbawatson

All @nfl fans watch the Ryder Cup this week, we got no refs. #USA

25 Sep 12

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Derek Hagan

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@dhagan80

This is crazy... I'm still SMH... Can't call it!!!! Refs r a joke...they also missed that O Pass interference on Tate... 2 hand push off  

24 Sep 12

These tweets are from professional players of all sports, including other football players who are impacted both positively and negatively by the outcome of this game! To be honest, my favorite tweet isn't included in this list. It's since been removed from Twitter, but it was from Wisconsin Senator Jon Erpenbach and gave Roger Goodell's phone number. Goodell is the NFL commissioner. Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews also posted Goodell's number on his Facebook page. Had I been awake at this point, I would have loved to join the thousands of people who called him. 

Last night's call was absolutely inexcusable. We need to get the real refs back! These inexperienced officials are ruining the season and the NFL is going to lose credibility if this keeps going. I know I already feel like the wins this season are worth less than they were last season. Sure, Seattle is now 2-1 but so what? They won because of a mistake, not because they were the better team. It's a couple million dollars: pocket change for the NFL. So come on, Mr. Goodell: do what it takes to get our Monday (and Thursday and Sunday) Night Football back to normal!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

References:

ESPN.com video

BleacherReport.com

LATimes.com

ESPN.com