10 Ways to Maintain a Positive Life!

Hey y'all! It's May 2nd and to continue with May's Maintenance Madness, I'm here to tell you the 10 ways to maintain a positive life!

We all have those days where you just feel completely....BLAHHHHH! BUT don't let everyday be one of those days! Here are my top 10 ways to maintain a positive life!

1. Meditate, Yoga, or Prayer.
An excellent way to start off your morning is by doing some sort of meditation or prayer, and YOGA! Yoga is a very calming, relaxing experience, and everyone could use a little bit of Yoga in their lives! If you're interested in trying Yoga for yourself check out these links!
50 Best Yoga Books Programs

2. Smile!
On bad days I know smiling is probably the last thing you want to do, but smiling can effect your attitude (and the attitude of others around you!) Smiling, even when you're upset or feeling down, can instantly give you that little...push that you need not to just give up. Try it! Next time you're feeling down...just smile at someone!

3. Surround yourself with positive people.
Constantly having negative people around you is most definitely not a good way to keep your attitude up and positive. If your friends don't lift you up and make you happy-maybe you should spend a little less time around them OR try to encourage them and spread some positivity!

4. Read positive quotes and stories.
Filling your head with positivity is bound to have an effect on your attitude. Try reading a positive quote or story everyday!

5. Make a list of things you're grateful for.
Everyday make a list of 5 different things that you're thankful for. Here, I'll start: My health, my bestfriend, my adorable bunny rabbit, my home, and a trip to Cali/Baltimore this summer. Tell me about what you're thankful for!

6. Help someone.
This one is big. Helping others is a GIANT step towards a happier, more positive attitude. Just do something nice for someone else; hold a door, smile, compliment them, pay for someone's lunch, etc.

7. Take a walk.
When you're feeling upset or stressed-walk it out. Just take a walk. Just a simple 10 minute walk outside. It will clear your mind, calm you down, and plus...fresh air can't ever hurt!

8. Make a list of things that you love about yourself.
Love yourself. I know, I know...this one is a toughy, but it's not impossible. You have to remind yourself that you are an AWESOME human being! Make a list of the top 10 things you love about yourself. It can be anything from: the color of your eyes to the size of your feet. lol It doesn't matter, whatever you love about yourself just write it down.


9. Take a break.
You're human, okay? Give yourself a well needed break. Take a bubble bath, take a drive, go for a swim. Anything-just relax and regroup.

10. Take pictures.
I find that taking pictures-especially of things that you find beautiful or things that you love is an excellent way to maintain a positive attitude. Invest in a camera (even one of those cheap disposable ones), take lots of pictures, print them out, put them in a collage or scrapbook or on your wall, etc.

Check out these motivational blogs!

Overcoming Adversity in Your Life!

Everyday Power! 

Heidi Cave!

Up Popped a Fox!

Lil Blue Boo!

 

I hope you all can benefit from this list! Comment below and tell me your ways of maintaining positive attitude or tweet me @BlessyourheartB! Everyone have an amazing day!

Check out this new blog!!

Hey everybody! Kicking off May's Maintenance Madness- I have a motivation and encouragement blog for you all to follow! My bestfriend recently (as in today) just started her own blog! It's dedicated to motivating, encouraging, and working/achieving dreams! All of you should totally go check it out and follow if you like it! Click here to visit it, and stay tuned for more Maintenance Madness! -Lexie!

May Maintenance Madness!

Hello to all of you LOVELY people out there!
May is rapidly approaching, and I've decided to dedicate this May to MAINTENANCE! Skin, hair, body, mind, and how to maintain an overall healthy lifestyle!
I am going to try my best to post everyday some kind of tip or step to a healthy lifestyle!

Also, more reviews are coming soon! (And hopefully giveaways too!)
Please feel free to comment below, tweet me @blessyourheartb , or email me any ways that you maintain a healthy body, mind, and soul ORRRRRRRR tell me what you would like to see out of this Maintenance Madness!
Have a beautiful, beautiful day! -Lexie

Here's a little laugh for today :)

SPEAKING OUT: How One Frat Took a Stand Against Domestic Abuse!

How One Frat Took a Stand Against Abuse on Campus.

It took a lot of courage for Deborah Monroe to return to ECU (East Carolina University) campus. As a student of ECU her boyfriend had beaten her, thrown her out of a moving car, and threatened her with a loaded gun. 

Deborah Monroe is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, and essayist. Seven years later, Monroe is now an author, advocate and speaker on intimate partner abuse. She was invited back to campus last fall by Alpha Phi Alpha, a ECU fraternity that co-sponsors “Black & Blue,” an annual event that raises awareness about domestic violence.

For Monroe, returning to campus was particularly fraught — her abuser had been a member of Alpha Phi Alpha.

SOMETIMES STORIES OF ABUSE ARE SWEPT UNDER THE RUG

For Montford-Brown, hearing the stories of other people who grew up abused or with abusers was a revelation. “We don’t always know people’s true stories,” he said. “When I was growing up, my dad would put his hands on my mom. I used sports as a reason not to be in the house. I went to after-school tutoring. Who wants to go to after-school tutoring? I just didn’t want to be home. But I learned that you don’t have to accept abuse or let it control your life.”

When she came to campus for “Black & Blue,” Monroe shared her own story. She also talked about a funeral she attended while a student there – for the mother of an Alpha Phi member, who had been murdered by her husband.

ECU is the third-largest university in North Carolina and hosts over 25,000 students. Although there are few reported instances of abuse or rape at ECU, Sue Molhan, the ECU Office of Victim Services spokesperson, believes there are a substantial number of unreported cases. “Students don’t report it because it’s usually an acquaintance,” Molhan told the Greenville Reflector, referring to the “silent epidemic.” “People also are not sure sometimes if what happened to them would count as a crime.”

Lt. Amy Davis, the Division Commander of ECU’s Crime Prevention/Community Affairs, calls sexual assault “the most underreported crime in our society.” And, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, females ages 20-24 are at the greatest risk of intimate partner violence. One survey on college women found that about 3 percent had been victims of rape or attempted rape in a single academic term. At a campus the size of ECU this translates to over 350 attacks per year — 100 times the reported number.

Click here  to read more on what the Alpha Phi brothers did to help and take a stand! 

If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual assault, domestic abuse, or child abuse, and needs help please use one of the numbers on this list!

National Domestic Violence Hotline

1-800-799-SAFE (7233) / www.thehotline.org

National Sexual Assault Hotline

1-800-656-HOPE (4673) / chat at online.rainn.org / www.rainn.org

Loveisrespect: Teen Dating Violence Hotline

1-866-331-9474 / text ‘loveis’ to 22522 / chat at www.loveisrespect.org

1in6: Resources for Male Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

www.1in6.org / Online SupportLine at 1in6.org/men/get-help

Safe Helpline: Sexual Assault Support for the Department of Defense (DoD) Community

877-995-5247/ Online Helpline at safehelpline.org/about-dod-safe-helpline 

It's time to say NO MORE. 

Wacky Red Carpet Tricks!

Check out these crazy celebrity beauty secrets!

1. Miranda Kerr- Model, Miranda Kerr, uses lipbalm/chapstick as a highlighter around her eyes. EXPERT OPINION: Try it! "This will work, just stick to a natural product. A lipgloss will clog your pores and will also be pretty sticky," says New York based makeup artist Stefanie Syat. Dab some plain lip balm on the inner corners of your eyes.

2. Catherine-Zeta Jones- Actress, Catherine-Zeta Jones, keeps her hair so fabulous by dousing it in beer! EXPERT OPINION: Try it! "The alcohol removes any buildup that sits on the surface of the hair," says Amy Mrkurnic, a senior colorist at Oscar Blondi salon in New York. After you shampoo, towel dry, then massage a cupful or so of beer into your strands. Cover with plastic wrap for five minutes, then rinse. Any kind of brew is okay, so skip the pricy craft options and use up those mystery cans in the back of your fridge.


3. Snooki- Actress, Nicole 'Snooki' Pilozzi, swears by kitty litter to exfoliate!
EXPERT OPINION: Skip it. The clumpy texture of the litter may remind you of a mud mask, but the clay particles are far larger than what you'd find in a substance formulated for skin. "These particles can cause micro scratches, which can lead to inflammation and blotchiness," explains Lezandra Berchik, an esthetician at Bliss Spa Los Angeles.  Not only that, but the moisture-sucking properties of the kitty litter—courtesy of the mineral silica—will have the same effect on your skin, leading to dehydration. As if that weren't enough to deter you, keep in mind that the "fresh scent" designed to mask any odors isn't exactly an aphrodisiac.
TRY THIS INSTEAD: Plain baking soda, either mixed with water or your favorite cleanser, will help clean out pores without any of the irritation.
4. Denise Richards- Model/Actress, Denise Richards, conditions her hair with avocado. EXPERT OPINION: Try it! "I do this one myself," says Mrkurnic. "To make it even more effective, combine the avocado with one tablespoon of olive oil." Slather onto your strands, but avoid the scalp itself—that'll make your hair look overly oily.

5. Jennifer Love Hewitt- Actress, Jennifer Love Hewitt, calms her zits with toothpaste!
EXPERT OPINION: Skip it. "We hear this 'trick' all the time, but it doesn't work. In fact, it can make a blemish worse," says Berchik. So why do people still try it? "Abrasives in the toothpaste, like calcium carbonate, will dry the blemish so it looks better. But it does nothing to rid it of bacteria, and the detergents and flavoring in the formula will irritate your skin."
TRY THIS INSTEAD: Stick to the tried-and-true treatments, says Berchik. "A product needs to contain either benzoyl peroxide or salicyclic acid to properly treat the blemish."
6. Lady Gaga- Singer, Lady Gaga, uses fabric tape to remove eye makeup! EXPERT OPINION: Try it—with caution. "Glitter can be especially hard to remove, so tape does the trick," says Syat. "Fabric tape will be the most gentle on your skin." But if your skin is super sensitive or prone to redness, avoid this option and stick with makeup remover.


7. Sienna Miller-  Actress, Sienna Miller, swears by ketchup to fix her hair imperfections.
EXPERT OPINION: Skip. When she accidentally used henna—a vibrant, all natural dye—on her blond strands, Miller said the only thing that got rid of the color was soaking her hair in ketchup, but colorists question this at-home remedy. "Henna is a stain, so it's not going away easily," says Mrkurnic. "I've never heard of this one."
TRY THIS INSTEAD: A color correction is best done in the salon, but if you're in a pinch and need the color out, stat, Mrkurnic recommends combining 90% rubbing alcohol with mineral oil. "Make a three to one ratio of the alcohol with the mineral oil, mix together, and massage through your hair. Then, wrap your hair in plastic and apply heat for 10 minutes to fade any color."

8. Lisa Rinna-  Actress, Lisa Rinna, uses cinnamon oil for a plumped-up pout. EXPERT OPINION: Try it—with caution. "Adding a few drops of cinnamon oil to a lip gloss will give some added oomph," says Patrice Evangeline, a New York City based makeup artist. But the trick won't make your lips puff up to Angeline Jolie proportions, and makeup artists warn to spot check the oil against a patch of skin first to make sure you don't have any adverse effect.

9. Terry Hatcher- Actress, Teri Hatcher, adds red wine to her bath for softer skin. EXPERT OPINION: Skip it. "Red wine in the tub could work because wine contains tartaric acid, an alpha hydroxyl agent that can exfoliate," says Berchik. But don't raise a glass yet. Berchik warns that it would take a few bottles to notice an effect and the wine could irritate any minor scratches on the skin. 

10. Miranda Kerr- Model, Miranda Kerr, uses a spoon instead of an eyelash curler for a wider look. EXPERT OPINION: Try it! "For best results, run the spoon under hot water or give it a quick blast of the blow dryer," suggests Evangeline. "With the bowl-part facing upward, use your thumb to hold your lashes against the curve and turn upward."


11. January Jones- Actress, January Jones, bounced back from her pregnancy by using supplements made from her own placenta.
EXPERT OPINION: Skip it. "There have been no scientifically demonstrated benefits of placenta ingestion for humans," says Mark Kristal, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Buffalo, whose research has focused on placenta ingestion. So why do so many new moms insist that it has healing powers? "Placenta ingestion has been shown to benefit nonhuman mammals," explains Kristal. "But the fact that no human cultures, past or present, routinely engage in this practice suggest that evolutionary-wise, there may have been something detrimental to ingesting placenta."   If you know of any more wacky red carpet tricks tweet me @Blessyourheartb, email me @blessyourheartblog6@gmail.com or comment below!
   

Autism Speaks. It's time to listen.

April is National Autism Awareness Month

Did you know......

• Autism now affects 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys
• Autism prevalence figures are growing.
• Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in the U.S.
• Autism costs families $60,000 a year on average.
• Boys are nearly 5 times more likely to develop Autism than girls.
• There is no medical detection or cure for Autism.

Click here to learn more about Autism and what causes it.

Interested in Donating or Volunteering for Autism Speaks?

Click here to find an Autism Speaks walk near you!

You can help spread Autism awareness in a number of ways!

 

Give your money:

1. Donate directly.
2. Support a walk.
3. Donate in someone's honor.
4. Find a tribute.
5. Create a fundraising page in someone's honor.
6. Shop the Autism Speaks store.
7. Shop Autism Speaks partner stores.

Give your time:

1. Volunteer for a walk.
2. Sign up for e-mails.
3. Join on Twitter and Facebook.

IMPORTANT!

Hey y'all! I just wanted to let you all know that I am teaming up with a fellow blogger to run her blog, as well as mine. Everyone click this link, and go check out our blog! :)