Inflation in newspapers

64% of Americans are stressed about money

When John walked into this local grocery store, he could only afford a pack of milk, instead of the regular two packs he’d purchase for his family of five.

John is probably feeling the heat captured by a recent survey by the American Psychological Association suggesting that about 64% of Americans might be feeling stressed about money.

The reason for this financial stress is not far-fetched. Americans (and indeed, most of the rest of the world) have been living with soaring prices for months as inflation hits a 40-year peak.

John, like most families, is stretched thin. In all of these, there are still a lot of uncertainties even though the consumer price index for July, 2022 came down to 8.5% from a previous 9.1%.  One can only wonder how to ease financial stress in the midst of the scary and rising inflation.

One thing you can do is to choose how you respond to this stress and you can do this by learning how to activate your sage brain during stress. While your saboteurs keep overwhelming you with anxiety, fear, and pressure, your sage brain might be teaching you how to take inventory of your financial circumstances and how to Write down ways you and your family can reduce expenses or manage your money more efficiently but are you listening to your sage brain?

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Serena Williams

Serena Williams bows out in style

“I’m evolving,” the 41 year old, 23-time grand slam champion said. With deep respect for the community of retirees, Serena chose rather to say, “I’ve been thinking of this as a transition. I’m evolving away from tennis, towards other things that are important to me.”

Is there anything compelling you to “evolve”? Sometimes, it could be financial, family, health, age, or perhaps a deep desire for something different. Whatever it might be, the question is: “How might you embrace the courage to say YES and embrace your new path?”  

With Serena’s love for fashion, perhaps, you are not necessarily retiring. Yet, life might compel us to evolve from something precious to us, take a new path, so we might embrace other things that are equally important. 

My friend, embrace your evolution with optimism. Your best days are still ahead.  It was Patrick Lumumba who said “Time limits are good things. No matter how good a dancer you are, you must leave the stage.”  But in our S.H.A.P.E CULTURE, we say you are not necessarily leaving the stage, you are simply evolving into a more superior version of yourself

Photo credit: wall.alphacoders.com

Serena Williams is proof that regardless of your renown in any field, it is okay to evolve.

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Gratitude: A powerful elixir for the soul

For a few seconds, close your eyes and try to imagine the warmth of a soft, cozy blanket during a cold night when you feel alone and maybe anxious. What thought comes to mind? Or what sensation do you feel?

Let me guess.

You feel a sense of calm and safety while trying to sleep off, right? Maybe you began to feel a little bit less anxious as the blanket provides a sensation of peace, warmth, and relaxation for your bare skin. Now your mind is beginning to feel relaxed, and there you go sleeping off like a baby.  

Gratitude can be this warm and soft blanket that helps you reduce anxiety and create a sense of calm and safety.  As we go through and try to navigate the stress and threat of life, we tend to battle with the flight and fight dilemma.

Being under this constant pressure can cause one to start experiencing a sense of threat and feel unsafe and then this could lead to more drastic health challenges like rising blood pressure, irregular  heart rate, etc.

Even though the power of gratitude has not been fully tapped into in clinical practice, one can at a glance tell that gratitude enhances mental health and provides succor for our souls. The world will be a much happier place with very healthy people if everyone finds something to be grateful for daily. 

If you want to be more emotionally stable and unlock an authentic version of yourself, then learn the powerful magic of gratitude.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

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Excellence is a mindset

“It all begins in the mind.”

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Et egestas quis ipsum suspendisse ultrices gravida dictum fusce ut. Vitae turpis massa sed elementum tempus. Eget dolor morbi non arcu risus quis varius. Condimentum lacinia quis vel eros donec ac odio tempor orci. Sed id semper risus in hendrerit. Amet nisl suscipit adipiscing bibendum. In eu mi bibendum neque egestas congue quisque. At quis risus sed vulputate. Bibendum ut tristique et egestas. Ultricies mi eget mauris pharetra. Purus gravida quis blandit turpis cursus in hac. Vulputate sapien nec sagittis aliquam malesuada. Arcu cursus euismod quis viverra nibh cras pulvinar. Porttitor lacus luctus accumsan tortor posuere ac ut consequat.

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.”

-Chi Man-

What Next?

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