SuperBetter

super better starts with resilience.

Resilience means getting stronger in the face of a challenge.

What does it mean to get SuperBetter?

Everything in this game is designed to help you get stronger, by building up your personal resilience.
Resilience is the ability to stay motivated, optimistic and determined even in the face of a tough challenge.

When you’re resilient…

• Your body is better able to withstand stress and heal itself. (That’s PHYSICAL resilience.)
• You have the mental focus and determination you need to be successful. (That’s MENTAL resilience.)
• You’re able to activate positive emotions when you need them most. (That’s EMOTIONAL resilience.)
• You get strength from your friends and family. (That’s SOCIAL resilience.)

So why are we so focused on increasing your personal resilience? It’s all based on scientific research. Study after study shows that resilience is the single most important personal skill you can develop -- if you want to be happier, healthier and more successful in whatever you do.
So what are you waiting for? Go get SuperBetter!


www.superbetter.com

Daily Affirmation - Friday 6/1/12

Summer is for the children to play in water, laugh and sing. Summer time is for the children within us to do the same thing. I affirm that my inner child is free and open to explore that part of me that loves to play and have fun!
~from Hope Cramer

Thursday - Daily Affirmation

I gracefully dodge every bump in my path. I leap confidently over every hurdle before me. I face every challenge bravely. My inner strength bolsters me. I trust and value my life journey.

SuperBetter - Check it out!

Our creative writing instructor tipped me off to a very cool blog that is a fun way to design your own health, wellness and recovery journey.  The site self-describes as "SuperBetter helps you achieve your health goals — or recover from an illness or injury — by increasing your personal resilience. Resilience means staying curious, optimistic and motivated even in the face of the toughest challenges."

It was created by a woman who had sustained an injury that affected her functioning in devastating ways.  She made up a game that helped her find new ways to accomplish her goals.

The link is under Health and Wellness on the right side of the blog.   For your convenience, here it is as well:

www.superbetter.com

Daily Affirmation Wednesday

God's wealth is circulating in my life. His wealth flows to me in avalanches of abundance. All my needs, desires and goals are met instantaneously. I am open to receive the abundant good that God has for me.
~from Rev. Dr. Nikki Trimble

Breakfast at IKEA! Free every Monday

IKEA on Sargent Drive, New Haven, offers free breakfast every Monday from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM.  They serve scrambled eggs, bacon OR sausage and homefries.   If you make changes to this menu item, you have to pay extra.

Breakfast is Served (at no cost)

St. Mary's Church at 49 Goffe Street, New Haven serves a free breakfast on the 4th Saturday of each month from 9 AM to 12 Noon. 

This is a welcoming and community-minded congregation. 

Daily Affirmations - Saturday, Sunday & Monday

Saturday

The sun is my guiding light. The moon is my emotional balance. I look to the stars and reach my full potential


Sunday

I AM Abundant. Prosperity greets me wherever I go. 



Monday

I choose happiness. I choose contentment. I choose prosperity. I choose love of self. 

An Affirmation from Cindy

On a day like today, so filled with possibilities, there an infinite number of things we can do to make our lives better.  Worry is not one of them.

Basic Stretching Routine

7 Stretches for a Full-Body Flexibility Workout

-- By Nicole Nichols, Fitness Instructor

Stretching is good for you, and it feels great, too! That's why we created this short and effective full-body stretching routine that you can follow whether you're a beginner or an advanced exerciser. Remember to warm up first and never stretch to the point of pain. For more stretching tips and guidelines, refer to our Reference Guide to Stretching.

Hold each stretch listed for 15-30 seconds, repeating two or three times, depending on how you feel. For detailed instructions and larger photos, click on the name of each stretch.

Neck Stretch
Sit or stand with shoulders relaxed, back straight. Bring your left ear down toward your left shoulder and hold. Roll your head down toward the ground and bring your chin to your chest. Hold and finally, roll your head to the right and bring that ear to your right shoulder. Inhale and exhale in a slow and controlled manner.

Hamstring Stretch
Stand tall with back straight, abs engaged, shoulders down, and feet hip-width apart. Bring your left leg forward, heel down, toes up and leg straight. Keeping back straight and abs engaged, bend the right knee as if sitting back, while supporting yourself with both hands on your thighs. Repeat on opposite side.

Quad Stretch
Stand tall, holding on to a chair or wall for balance if necessary (not pictured). Keep your feet hip-width apart, your back straight and your feet parallel. Reach back and grab your left foot in your left hand, keeping your thighs lined up next to each other and left leg in line with the hip (not pulled back behind you). Repeat on opposite side.

Chest and Biceps Stretch
Stand tall or sit upright (not pictured). Interlace your fingers behind your back and straighten you arms. With arms straight, lift arms up behind you while keeping your back straight and your shoulders down. Keep the shoulders relaxed away from the ears.

Standing Triceps Stretch
Stand tall or sit upright (not pictured). Place your left elbow in your right hand. Reach your left arm overhead, placing palm on the center of your back and supporting the elbow in your right hand. Reach your fingertips down your spine. Keep the shoulders relaxed away from the ears. Repeat with opposite arm.

Back Stretch
Come to hands and knees with your hands shoulder-width apart, knees hip-width apart, abs engaged, and back flat (spine neutral). Engage your abdominals as if pulling your naval toward your spine and round your back toward the ceiling. Allow the head and neck to fall naturally between the arms.

Hip and Gluteal Stretch
Lie on your back with your legs extended and your back straight. Keep your hips level and your lower back down on the floor. Bend your left knee, placing left foot flat on the floor (not pictured). Cross your right ankle at your left knee. Grab the back of your left thigh and hug your legs toward your chest. Place your right elbow on the inner portion of your right knee and push it slightly to the side. Repeat on opposite side.

Daily Affirmation - Friday

A miracle of wealth happens to me today! A miracle of wealth is happening to me right now, in the best possible way, for the highest good!

Basic Skin and Aging Tips Every Woman Should Know

By Linda M. McCloud


If you are a woman, there are some basic skin and agin tips you should know. These tips will help you mature gracefully and help keep your skin feeling more moisturized and more youthful. Most of all, these tips will make you look great.

Never Go To Bed With Your Makeup Still On
Yes, we all get tired. However, we also all get lazy. This laziness can cause some major skin and aging problems. How? We leave our makeup on our faces too long, which can help clog our pores. We go to bed and then that makeup becomes buried into our pores even more as we lay on our pillows, pushing the makeup deep into our pores.

The best solution is to properly wash off the makeup with a good makeup remover and water. However, when we are lazy, sick or tired, a makeup towelette will work in a pinch .

Avoid Overwashing Your Skin
Yes, you want to be clean. However, you don't want to overwash your skin. This is the one skin and aging tip that is often overlooked. Overwashing can lead to dryness, which can lead to wrinkles and fine lines over your entire body. Limit the amount of time you spend washing to less than 20 minutes, and avoid exposing your skin to hot water. Bathe in lukewarm water instead.

Apply Lotion andMoisturizersWithin 10 Minutes After Bathing
You should always apply your lotions within the first 10 minutes after you take your bath. This is the best time because your pores are open and your skin will benefit from the lotion more.

Drink Plenty of Water Daily
Each and every day, we should all be drinking 6-8 glasses of water. Our bodies need water to function properly, and our skin needs the water to keep from becoming too dry. Once our skin becomes dry, it can wrinkle more quickly and can also be prone to cracking. This cracking can even lead to small cuts. The best way to solve both of these problems is from the inside out by making sure that your skin stays hydrated.
These are simple and basic skin and aging tips. However, many women will go out and spend a ton of money on beauty products while overlooking these very simple tips.

http://www.dailyglow.com/basic-skin-and-aging-tips-every-woman-should-know.html

The Benefits of Conscious Breathing

By Jennifer Jordan

Breathing, we all do it, we kind of have to. While most of us do it automatically, with very little thought or attention to detail, this kind of robotic reaction can leave us missing out on an important element of our personal health. It's when we breathe consciously, with purpose and reason, that we uncover the potential to find what we've been missing out on, uncovering that and so much more.

Breathing is a contagious action. You probably recall your days in high school biology when a yawn began with one person and ended with the whole class in a collective demonstration of tiredness. As soon as someone yawned, everyone else had the urge. Along these lines, husbands and wives often find themselves breathing in sync as they lie next to each other in bed and friends often find themselves breathing together as they ride in a car or sit in a movie theater. In fact, there is speculation that people tend to like others more when they are breathing in sync.

The reasons for this are simple: breathing is a life force, something we do from the day we are born until the day we die. This makes it powerful, powerful enough to affect our relationships, facilitate our health, and calm our emotions. But, its power can fall by the waste side if we aren't consciously aware of its capacity through conscious breathing.

Conscious breathing, by definition, is exactly how it sounds: it is a natural breathing technique in which you are fully aware of every breath you are taking. It involves merging the inhale and the exhale with your conscious awareness. There is control of the breath, which enables you to enjoy its continuous flow in and out. This conscious breath helps you move through emotions, fatigue, stress, and pain.

The first act in conscious breathing is sitting down somewhere quiet, comfortable, and where you won't face interruption. After closing your eyes, breathe slowing through your nose while counting to five (this number will increase over time). While breathing, don't focus on the presentation you have due at nine a.m. tomorrow, don't focus on your child's trouble at school, and don't focus on the new radiator your car needs, instead simply focus on one thing: breathing.

This type of breathing doesn't speed up breathing or slow it down; it doesn't change the action of breathing whatsoever. Instead, it makes you conscious of every breath you are taking by teaching you how to focus on the actual sensations of breathing. Some exercises may involve focusing on the nostrils, the way they slightly open and close with each breath. Some exercises may focus on the rise and fall of a rib cage. Some exercises may focus on the feeling of a warm gust across the upper lip.

The awareness of sensations that is created by conscious breathing provides a path for you to transform emotionally. This kind of focus allows you to experience a strong release from stress, allowing you to let go of your past traumas and demons instead of wasting energy holding them in.

Conscious Breathing accesses the inner power of the breath, summonsing deep seated emotions only so that they will be released. By breathing in this manner, you're telling your body that it's safe for stress and fear to rise up; stress and fear have to be at the surface in order to be let go. Once they are let go, a sense of relaxation and serenity take over.

When you are concentrating on nothing but your breathing, you are letting go of past worries and future apprehensions. You are doing what everyone aspires to do: living in the present moment. In the present moment there are no worries, there is no heartache, everything is simply perfect. The more time you can spend in this present moment, the more your mind and body will adopt this notion of blissfulness.

The predecessor of other techniques such as mindfulness and visualization, conscious breathing gives you the ability to breathe through your problems; it creates opportunity for you to let go of things you would normally hold in. And, because it balances you out and creates equilibrium, it allows you to handle present and future stresses in a more efficient manner. Most of all, when stresses come your way, it reminds you to just breathe.

Jennifer Jordan is senior editor of http://www.yogatwisted.com. Specializing in articles that not only teach yoga techniques, but also teach techniques on fulfillment and enrichment, she aims to educate students proudly enrolled in the school of life.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Jordan

Daily Affirmation - Thursday

Today I will express my authentic self. I choose not to hide behind a false mask.

Daily Affirmation - Wednesday

I believe in my own power to save me from pain.
~from Manu

Welcome!

Welcome to the Liberty Community Services, Inc. blog for the women it serves.  This site will contain information that may be helpful to you.  We will be continually adding links, telephone numbers, articles and general information to assist you in achieving health, housing and happiness.

Each day, we post an affirmation.  Use the affirmations to direct your thinking positively.  They really make a difference!

If you scroll down on the blog, you will find a calendar that includes the days that the Women's Program is open and which staff is leading the activity.  When we have speakers scheduled, their names and topics will be added to the schedule.

Please share resources that you discover with our staff so that it can be included to assist others.

Have a joyous day!

Daily Affirmation - Tuesday

I accept wise guidance to lead me along my life's path. I easily manifest my heart's desires.

Daily Affirmation - Monday

May 21st:   Each day I am more patient and trusting with others.

Celebrating Women

You.Are.Amazing.

As. you. are.
Stronger than you know.
More beautiful than you think.
Worthier than you believe.
More loved than you can ever imagine.
Passionate about making a difference.
Fiery when protecting those you love.
Learning. Growing. Not alone.
Warm. Giving. Generous.
Quirky. Sexy. Funny. Smart.
Flawed. Whole. Scared. Brave.
And so, so, so.much.more.

Be Strong. Be Confident. Be You.

~ Copyright: Tia Sparkles Singh, 2011