One of my most popular blogs was ‘Are we suffering?’. This is not surprising. 

In my consulting and teaching practice, I hear lots of heart-aching stories and see loads of suffering… One thing I learned from all the stories and that revealed itself again and again in my work is that if you dig deep enough, you will find the reason, you will find the wisdom, the lesson that the suffering, the challenge, or the pain is bringing forward…
 
We, human beings, are not here to just randomly ‘enjoy’ and live ‘happily ever after’… Nor are we here to just randomly 'suffer' ... We’re here to learn and grow… We’re here to fulfill a mission and a purpose… when life gets in the way, signs are sent to us to catch our attention and bring us back on track… And every time we learn and perfect a lesson, a new one is sent our way…
 
Trying to control every aspect of our life is futile… we can’t control the results, we can only control our choices, our actions and our beliefs… then, we need to let go… let go of attachments to any specific results, let go of ‘our way’ and be open to possibilities and opportunities…

Surrender to the Divine and know that everything that happens to you has a higher meaning and purpose… know that there is a higher plan, a bigger picture that you might not be fully aware of at the moment… stick to your path, your mission, your purpose… Keep going… Your efforts, your patience, your forbearance, perseverance and persistence will never go wasted… they will be rewarded in a way you never thought possible… that’s not my promise… That’s a Divine promise… Trust!

​How many times did you feel the need to press a pause button?
How many times did you feel the need to just stop and catch your breath?
How many times did you catch yourself running and racing, not even knowing what you are racing for or where you are heading?
How many times did you feel tumbling in a hectic stressful reality?
We've all been there. An exhausting mode of living that our modern lifestyle imposed on us without our consent. We all need this critical balance. Balance between the demands of our body, our every-day life and logical mind on one side and the needs of our heart and soul on the other.
Let me tell you a story… A story of a broken heart…
 
It’s the story of client of mine. Let’s call her Mary. This of course is not her real name.
 
Mary is a 54-year-old high school teacher living with her husband in a calm and friendly neighbourhood. Mary’s neighbours like her cheerful welcoming spirit as they greet her every morning on their way to work. Yet, Mary’s life is not as easy as it looks from the outside.
One night, the serene neighbourhood was disturbed by the sound of the ambulance at 2:00 am. Mary was rushed to the hospital with sharp pain in her chest. She was admitted immediately to the operating room for coronary bypass surgery.
 
If we take a closer look at Mary’s life, we will understand the source of her ‘broken’ heart. Mary is a caring loving wife. She spent the last 15 years of her marriage nurturing her husband who suffered from bipolar disorder. Her husband chronic health problems drained her energy and isolated her from any form of social life.
Mary drew a nice smile on her face every morning while her heart was bleeding and her energy was draining.  She loved her husband despites his endless fits. Still, she needed to be loved and nurtured in return. Her heart longed for its missing source of energy. And, as she ignored her Body Whispers for years, they shouted louder and louder until they turned into screams.
 
Mary’s operation was a wake-up call. Her life was at stake and she needed to do some changes. Many times, we cannot change our environment or circumstances, but we sure can change our perceptions, beliefs and choices and these are what matter the most.
 
As I helped Mary change her diet, manage her stress and exercise. I also helped her heal her heart, which is the crucial factor in her healing journey. 
 
She needed to ditch the victimhood mentality and proceeded to embrace life with all its ups and downs. She also learned to add joys into her everyday existence; she re-engaged with her community and chose to embrace her experience with grace and gratitude not helplessness and despair.
 
And, as she added little pleasures and joys into her life, she no longer needed fats and sweets as her emotional comfort. She learned to nurture her heart and soul and properly nourish her body and feed her mind.
 
With an uplifted spirit and regained stamina, Mary now had more energy to take better care of her husband and give him the love and support he needed. Not, surprisingly, this amazing change in her personality and temper was soon reflected on his behaviour and the bipolar cycling pattern was greatly reduced. When he was in his depressive/down state, Mary had the energy to give him the care and love he needed and when he was in his grandiose/ manic phase, she now had the patience and tolerance to embrace the experience.
 
Mary’s story is one of tens I meet every day. The story may change, but the underlying pattern is always the same… LISTEN. Deep inside you heart knows what it really needs. All you have to do is listen!

Today is the last day of our One week Happiness Challenge... but I surely wish that it will be the start of a long life of happiness!

What's a better way to wrap up our happiness challenge than to make another person happy... 
Today take the time to 'Pay it forward'... Pass the happiness to someone who deserves it, or even to someone who simply needs it... I love the film 'Pay it forward by Kevin Spacey & Helen Hunt... if you didn't see it, it's a good watch... I wrote about it in my blog some times ago here. 
http://www.amiraayad.com/my-blog/pay-it-forward

Drawing a smile on another person's face makes our heart sing! It genuinely makes us happy...
Ask yourself: Who can use a boost of happiness today? who would love a thank you note or a gratitude call? who would appreciate a hot tea or an un-expected gift?

Think and be creative... 

Share with us the number of people you made genuinely happy today and how you did so!

We're on day 6 already! We started easy, now, it's time to go a bit deeper... Time to DETOX! But not your body... your heart & soul.

Toxic emotions are more damaging than toxic food!
Sometimes we can't remove 'toxic people' from our lives, but we can refuse to allow their poisons to reach our heart and dim our soul...

What toxic emotions are you allowing into your heart? what toxic emotions are causing your happiness to wither?

Do you need to forgive someone -even yourself?
Do you need to release some anger, rage or frustration?
Do you need to finally let go of those pains and rancor?
Are there any jealousy... fear... doubts... shame or blame lurking in the dark shadow of your life?

Time to release them all... time to detox...

The first step in detoxing your emotions is acknowledging them... Emotions are not good or bad in themselves, they are just signposts that show us what need to change in our life... Again... we need to LISTEN!

Here is a blogpost I wrote some time ago: the 5 steps to deal with negative emotions.

So, What's the most toxic emotion you pledge to let go of TODAY?

Hello, hello again,

Deep at heart, lovely lady who are reading this post and following this happiness challenge, you are brave, you are confident, you are the one who holds your house, your family, your kids, your community together…
But, you’re also a beautiful fragile soul that has been running on dry for so long and now feels stuck, depleted, and exhausted.
You’re a kind, caring, loving heart that nurtured everyone around it and now endures the silent pain of emptiness, loneliness and boredom…
 
It’s time to care for yourself the way you cared for everyone and everything else... Today, you are going to perform a "Random Act of Love... Towards Yourself"

This could be an 'apple', another tea, a walk in the park, an appreciation letter... or even just look yourself into the eyes in the mirror and say "I love you the way you are... You're not perfect, no body is... but you are enough... you're beautiful enough... smart enough... brave enough..."

Have a lovely day!

Our 4th Happiness day challenge is to MOVE! 

I know the word exercise makes many people cringe! I am not asking you here to 'officially' exercise - unless this makes you happy of course... I am just challenging you to move your body...

Movement doesn’t have to be a boring task or a burden. We can make it enjoyable. Find motivation. Find a buddy, put on some music, be creative, make it fun! It is now scientifically proven that movement raise your endorphin levels, boost your mood, calm down the nerves and reduce stress levels.

Try some stretching, yoga postures, zumba, pilates, walk your dog or your cat, play with your toddler, or just sway to your favorite tune...

Don't forget to share some pictures and share your experience... 

Have a happy day!

Hello Hello again!
Happiness challenge day 3! Have an apple!
What the heck am I talking about? You're probably asking!

If you read any of my previous books or attended any of my workshops, you would surely be familiar with 'Apples'. It all started when I gave birth to my first child, Youssof. Back then, I was working as a teaching assistant in the faculty of pharmacy. I loved my job with all its time-consuming efforts. But, with a new born baby, I could no longer resume my work. I took maternity leave and spent my days and nights taking care of my child and my house. Janna, my daughter, was born two years later, and my leave extended. I loved my kids, enjoyed a happy marriage and a caring loving husband. Still, I was very stressed, anxious and unhappy. I cried almost every day without knowing why. One day, I read a book that changed my life: Nurturing Yourself and Others. In her book, the author explained how she was suffering from the same symptoms when, like me, she had every reason to be happy. Her counselor put it for her in a simple, yet beautiful way: “Think of yourself as an apple barrel” he advised. The apple barrel is only useful if it actually holds some apples. If we keep giving our apples to our kids, spouse, family, colleagues, and friends, we will soon run out of apples and feel worthless. To restore our function in life we have to replenish our supply of apples.

And this became my first advice to any of my friends, family, students and clients… Find your source of apples!

Apples are things that make you genuinely happy, fulfilled, thrilled, and/or replenished. It might be reading a book, playing with your kid, walking barefoot on green grass, collecting shells from a sandy beach, spending some time with a friend, drawing, painting, cooking, quilting, fishing, running, writing poetry, fixing the car, playing video games, meditating... Think, and make your own list. Pick one apple from the list and have it TODAY!

And most importantly, share your experience with us here in the post!

Have a happy day! ​

It was great seeing your teas and coffees yesterday... on our Body Whispers Facebook group Keep the pics coming! Hope you noticed that just by focusing on 1 thing that makes you happy this lifts up your mood for most of the day... Let us all know how it worked for you, let's lift our spirit up!
OK! Now, happiness challenge number 2! What's your BIG DREAM?
If you have been following me for some time, you probably know how I insist on journaling... Many women hate me for this but they love me after they see the effect on their lives... I am not asking you to journal today... but today challenge is writing down your BIG DREAM in your journal.
Happiness studies on Harvard students showed that the difference between happy and unhappy students was that happy students had a big dream or a big vision that they look forward to and they take steady baby steps towards it.
Today your mission -if you choose to accept it- is to take few minutes to dream big... if money, time or space were no objections; if anything was possible, what would you like to BE, DO and HAVE in your life? What is your big audacious dream?
Don't be afraid to DREAM BIG... don't censor yourself and don't allow this tiny little annoying voice in your head to stop you... I don't care if your dream is to build the first hooka lounge on the moon or travel the world in 80 seconds... Write it down! And share with us on this post... Who knows may be you will find someone who will help you take the first step! 
Writing down your dream and announcing it to the world give the message to your subconscious mind that you are serious, so you will start noticing opportunities, chances, ideas that you didn't see before... it will seem like magic but it is not magic, it is science...
"You'll see it when you believe it!"

Today we are starting our happiness challenge at our women circle in Body Whispers Facebook group!

We will start easy and slow. Today we'll establish the fact that HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE! Yes, it is our choice to be happy regardless the pains, challenges or stresses we are facing. Happiness is there, if we focus we will find it. Today, you are going to take at least 10 minutes (30 or 60 min will be better - but 10 is the least you can do for yourself!) Take 10 minutes to savor your best tea or coffee. Use your favorite mug or china and take the time to savor every sip. Take in life, joy, happiness and take the decision to be happy... You deserve it!
To add accountability share with us on this post your thoughts, your favorite tea blend or brand, or better yet your 'selfie' savoring the tea.
Be creative! you can take it outdoors, invite a friend, drink it in your bubble bath... whatever adds a tiny bit of joy to your heart!
Waiting for your 'selfies' ladies!