Tag: healthy lifestyle

Lifestyle, Mental Health, Movement

Sync Your Wellness: Use the Sun to Move and the Moon to Feel

Corie Muldoon

Our energy shifts with nature, so why wouldn’t our wellness routine?!

Here’s a fun concept: the sun guides movement and the moon guides emotional work. I started to sync physical activity with daylight patterns and shadow work with lunar cycles. It’s really transformed how I show up for myself.

Sun-Based Movement:

  • Summer: Long runs, outdoor workouts, extra sessions
  • Winter: Gentle yoga, indoor strength work, treadmill miles
  • Daily: Our body naturally craves movement in daylight

Moon-Based Emotional Work:

  • New Moon: Set intentions for what you want to release or grow
  • Full Moon: Journal deeply, process emotions, cycles of healing
  • Waning Moon: Examine patterns, release what no longer serves

This natural alignment reduces resistance. You’re working with your rhythms, not against them.

Try this today:

Check tonight’s moon phase and spend 5 minutes journaling about one emotion you’re ready to acknowledge.

Share your thoughts below!

Getting Started, Healthy Habits, Mental Health

Express Feelings Positively with the ‘I Feel’ Framework

Corie Muldoon

Here are my notes for communicating feelings and needs to others in a productive, positive way:

Instead of bottling up emotions or exploding in frustration, let’s work on expressing our thoughts, feelings, and needs in a productive and positive way. This is one of my biggest weaknesses (continuing and never-ending improvement). It’s been fun learning new ways to process emotions and express myself.

The “I Feel” Framework helps you communicate what’s really going on without any blame or judgment.

Why it works: When you start with “I feel” instead of “You always” or “You never,” you take ownership of your emotions while inviting understanding instead of defensiveness. It transforms conflicts into conversations.

The “I Feel” Framework:

1. Name it:“I feel [frustrated/overwhelmed/hurt]…”

2. Link it: “…when [specific situation happens]…”

3. Need it: “…because I need [respect/support/help].”

4. Ask for it: “Would you be willing to [specific action]?”

Example: Instead of “You never help around here” … try: “I feel overwhelmed when the chores pile up because I need some team work”. Would you be willing to handle dishes after dinner?”

This approach validates your feelings, explains the impact, and offers a clear path forward. No one gets defensive, everyone gets heard.

Try this today: Next time you feel frustrated, pause and run through the “I Feel” Framework before speaking. Notice how the conversation shifts.

Share your thoughts below!

Healthy Habits, Lifestyle, Seasonal - Holidays

Stay on Track This Holiday Season Without the Stress

Corie Muldoon

The holidays don’t have to derail your wellness routine. The secret? Focus on consistency, not perfection.

Instead of trying to maintain your exact pre-holiday habits or completely abandoning them, aim for 80% of your normal routine.

Here’s why this works: All-or-nothing thinking leads to guilt and giving up entirely.

When you give yourself permission to modify rather than maintain or abandon, you stay consistent without the stress.

Your holiday wellness strategy:

  • Movement: Hit 3-4 workouts instead of your usual 5-6
  • Nutrition: Enjoy holiday treats mindfully, balance with protein and veggies at other meals
  • Hydration: Keep your water bottle visible and full
  • Sleep: Protect your sleep schedule even when calendars get packed
  • Stress: Build in 10-minute breaks between activities

This approach keeps you energized for celebrations, prevents January burnout, and lets you actually enjoy the season. You’ll start the new year feeling strong instead of starting from scratch.

Try this today: Choose one area above to modify (not perfect) through the holidays.

Share your thoughts below!

Healthy Habits, Mental Health

Own Your Emotions: The Daily Check-In That Changes Everything

Corie Muldoon

The Daily Check-In: A simple 5-minute emotional check-in that helps you express feelings honestly without blaming others or spiraling into self-criticism.

Most of us either bottle up emotions or let them explode… both hurt our relationships and well-being.

The middle ground is taking ownership of your feelings while staying accountable, without dragging yourself or others down.

Here’s how to make it an everyday practice:

1. Set a daily alarm for your check-in – Morning coffee or lunch break works great

2. Ask yourself: “What am I feeling right now?” – Happy, sad, angry? Use the Feelings Chart to get more specific (see end of post)

3. Verbalize your emotions using “I feel” statements instead of “you made me feel” – owning emotions is about your experience, not assigning fault

4. Acknowledge your role without harsh self-judgment – “I could have handled that better” is way better than “I’m such a mess”

This practice builds emotional awareness and keeps small frustrations from becoming big explosions. You’ll communicate more clearly, relationships improve, and that constant mental chatter will quiet down.

Try this today: Set a daily alarm for your check-in. Tomorrow when it goes off, pause for just 3 minutes and run through questions 2-4: what are you feeling, create “I feel” statement, and acknowledge your role in any conflicts. Notice what comes up… no judgment, just awareness.

Share your thoughts below!

The Feelings Chart

Relationships

The Power of Smiling: Embracing Change and Opportunity

Corie Muldoon

Someone asks you to do something you don’t want to do, answer with a smile.

Someone interrupts your work with a question, answer with a smile.

Someone suggests a new idea, answer with a smile.

A smile goes a long way – it shows the other person they can come to you without you freaking out, that you’re easy to work with, that you’re strong and resilient in the face of change.

A simple curl up of the lip can help you get into a more positive state of mind when something comes up that you weren’t expecting.

Change and opportunity will present themselves to you today, and when they do answer with a smile.

Open your heart to the world, take what you are given, I promise it’s really not as bad as you think it to be. It’s all working in your favor.

Stay blessed family.

Healthy Habits

Say Less, Listen More

Corie Muldoon

“The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.” -Robert Greene

We’ve heard before that the inexperienced and fearful talk to reassure themselves.

Ever say something and instantly regret it? It probably added no value to the conversation and/or just made ya feel silly for saying anything at all.

During conversations, most people are going to vent out their feelings or thoughts to you. And most times, they are not asking for advice or your opinion.

“Do you just need to vent or are you looking for some advice?”

The ability to listen, to deliberately keep out of a convo is rare because it’s hard. Yet it’s through silence that we build strength and self-sufficiency.

In order to listen more and talk less…

We give others the space and time to express themselves.

We are 100% present with the person in front of us.

We work to understand what the other is communicating.

We listen without labeling right or wrong.

We only provide insight or advice if asked.

We say less and listen more.

“Silence is a lesson learned from the many sufferings in life” -Seneca