Some Basic Facts About Ostara, the Spring Equinox

Ostara is also known as Eostre, or the Vernal Equinox. It is pronounced "oh-STAR-ah." Ostara is one of 8 major Pagan holidays.  It falls on March 21st, the first day of spring.  Many ancient cultures celebrated the first day of spring.  We still celebrate it today in many forms!  Ostara's name comes from an Teutonic goddess of springtime.  This is how the Christian holiday of Easter got its name.  Pagan people often use eggs, hares, lambs, and birds as symbols of celebration for this holiday.  The word "Equinox" means "equal night" in Latin.  During Ostara, the days once again begin to get longer, and nights shorter.  Hot Cross Buns are another popular treat for both Ostara and Easter celebrants alike!  Ostara is the season when things start to grow once again.  It's an excellent time for beginning new endeavors.

Signs & Symptoms of Emotional Eating

You feel guilt, fear, or shame about the way that you relate to food.

Food is a constant thought or obsession.

You snack when you are feeling bored, worried, or other times when you aren't really hungry.

Food is a source of comfort to you.

When you're feeling happy, you "celebrate" with certain types of food.

You consume food in order to make yourself feel happier.

Even if you are full, you continue to eat.

You are unable to stop yourself from overeating.

You continue to obsess over food long after you have finished eating; you think about food even after your stomach is full.

You crave food at random times, and have trouble functioning without it even if you are not really physically hungry.

When emotions of any type run high, you choose to eat.

Because of the way you eat, you have a problem with your weight.

"Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present."

Writer Regina Brett's life lessons are great little nuggets of wisdom.  There's something for everyone!  I'll be reflecting on this week's lesson:  "Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present."

What's in the past is over and done forever, but that might not stop some of us from reliving those painful memories.  It can be really hard to live with past regrets, past hurts, and past transgressions.  If you have done wrong, seek forgiveness from others as well as from yourself.  If someone else has wronged you, strive to forgive; even in cases where forgiveness seems like light-years away, you can at least forgive yourself for allowing feelings of resentment or distrust to rule over you.  Instead of being a victim and a slave to your past, try to examine things with the intention of learning valuable lessons that can carry over into your present and future.  Don't allow previous traumas to break you.  Be brave.  Be strong.  Put the past in its place, and embrace the future with a renewed sense of self.




Visit Regina's website here.

Negative Self-Talk

Do you know that little voice inside your head that tells you "you can't do anything... you're not worth anything... life sucks..."?  We all have self-chatter that goes on inside our own heads.  But, for some people, this little voice is consistently negative, damaging, and dysfunctional.  It's like a toxic friend, a bad parent, or a boss that never seems to have anything nice to say.  It can ruin lives, hearts, and relationships with ourselves and other people.

These toxic thoughts can seriously mess up our progress on days where we're doing fine.  It can hinder the ways that we see the world, it can mess up our interactions with other people, and it can freeze us in our tracks -- instantly.

Negative self-talk is easier to control than you might think.  Some people may need extensive therapy for it, but most people who experience these toxic thoughts, it is actually not too hard to chip away at the bad thoughts and to replace them with good ones.

During those times that you call yourself stupid, stop and correct that voice.  You're not!  If you make a mistake, don't criticize yourself -- and if you do (because you can't yet help it), try saying something nice or consoling to yourself.  You might also try affirmations to say after these damning thoughts rear their ugly heads.  Another way to handle nasty self-talk is to add the word "yet" after a sentence where it's appropriate.  For example, if you're telling yourself "I can't get anything done!," add "...yet!" as a sort of punctuation to the end of the sentence.  Over time, your self-esteem will improve as you shrink that little demon who's whispering inside your ear.  Try it!

"When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile."

Writer Regina Brett's life lessons are great little nuggets of wisdom.  There's something for everyone!  I'll be reflecting on this week's lesson:  "When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile."

Regina has sure said a mouthful here!  You should always try to take the best possible care of yourself.  As we all know, chocolate isn't exactly health food for the body, but it sure can make the mind and soul happy!  They say that dark chocolate can actually be good for the heart; don't take my word for it, though, feel free to Google away!  I think that her point is that sometimes, a little indulgence in a guilty pleasure is what makes life worth living.  Go ahead, enjoy your life a bit!



Visit Regina's website here.