Self-Care Strategy: Volunteer

Miss America Serves Day is April 7th this year and titleholders, contestants and volunteers will be serving their communities through their personal platform in addition to raising funds for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH).

My personal platform is raising awareness of cognitive impairments and the importance of self-care to decrease the effects of stress on the brain. Volunteering is one form of self-care that I have identified as it helps me to focus on the needs of others and how I can help them.

Volunteering is good for your mind and body as it provides many benefits to both your mental and physical health.

Volunteering combats depression.

Reducing the risk of depression is an important benefit of volunteering. A key risk factor for depression is social isolation. Volunteering helps you make positive connections, eliminating isolation, and can contribute to your overall happiness.

According to an article from Harvard Health Publishing volunteering has positive implications that go beyond mental health. A growing body of evidence suggests that people who give their time to others might also be rewarded with better physical health—including lower blood pressure and a longer lifespan.

Evidence of volunteerism’s physical effects can be found in a recent study from Carnegie Mellon University, published in Psychology and Aging. Adults over age 50 who volunteered on a regular basis were less likely to develop high blood pressure than non-volunteers. High blood pressure is an important indicator of health because it contributes to heart disease, stroke, and premature death.

This week, during Miss America Serves week, consider ways to improve your health through volunteering. If you would like to help me make miracles with CMNH, you can donate here. All funds raised go to the local CMNH hospitals.  Whether it is $1 or $100, every dollar counts and can make the difference in the life of a child or the family of a child who is in the hospital.

Visit CMNH to learn more about Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Camels and Crowns?

It’s Wednesday and that means “hump day” for many people. For me, it includes looking to God in my planning. I need Him to help me get through the week…and that means trusting Him.

So, I am meditating on the camel today as a visual reminder to trust Him. Why, the camel? Think about it.  God made everything with a plan; you, me and even the camel.

His plan of equipping each of His unique creations with everything needed to face their day, week, month (even difficult seasons of life) is observable in their physical characteristics.  These unique features help us adapt to a sometimes changing environment.  All we need to do is trust that we have been or will be provided with everything we need.

Have you ever felt as though you were going through a desert…perhaps a drought?  How does the camel respond to such situations? Do they worry? Do they stress about crossing a hot, dry land with no relief in the foreseeable future? No. They just keep moving forward. But how?

They can survive in a desert because of physical features, such as:

Large feet that help them to walk on sand without sinking in.

Nostrils that they can open and close to keep out blowing sand.

Long eyelashes to protect its eyes from blowing sand.

They store fat in their hump, not water. If they cannot find food, they use this fat to produce energy. When full of fat, the hump stands up. But when empty, it is just a loose flap of hairy skin.

Unlike most mammals, the body temperature of a camel changes during the day. As a result, the camel doesn’t sweat as much when the temperature rises. Sweating causes water loss, so the camel’s temperature changes help it to conserve water.

Camels have thick lips so they can eat the prickly desert plants with out being injured.

The color of their bodies helps them to blend into their environment. This protects them from predators, such as wolves.

Camel’s ears are covered with hair, even on the inside. The hair helps keep out sand or dust that might blow into the animal’s ears.

The protruding bone on their forehead acts much like a sun-visor, which helps to keep sunlight out of their eyes.

So, next time you are facing a desert, drought, or simply struggling to get through the week, look to the camel and be encouraged knowing if God provided the camel with everything he needs, He has done the same and more for you. Remember, you are a child of the King and wear an invisible crown.

Happy Memorial Day!

Feeling so very grateful for the men and women who have ever put on a military uniform!

Members of my family have served our country during war and peace time and it is not only because of their service but also the service and sacrifice of so many others that I enjoy the freedoms granted to me as a result.

In honor of Memorial Day, I have created these journal cards (3×4 and 4×6) to use in my scrapbook and am sharing them here with you to use as well.

Have a Happy Memorial Day and if you are a current or former member of our military, whether during war or peacetime, Thank for your service!