Holding a grudge can damage your heart and shorten your life by putting you under undue stress, and stress is one of the top contributors to chronic diseases.

"If there’s someone who has hurt you or wronged you in some way, and you haven’t forgiven them, your stress level will be greater than it should be,” says Dr. Nelson, who has trained thousands of healing practitioners worldwide in the methods he outlines in his bestselling book “The Emotion Code.” 

“When we withhold forgiveness from someone who has hurt us, we may think that we are getting even or hurting that person, but nothing could be further from the truth. What we are really doing is we are hurting ourselves. Say someone has done something truly horrible that seems impossible for you to forgive. This is where you have power to do something meaningful that can be life-changing, especially for yourself!"

Here are 3 simple steps Dr. Nelson recommends to forgive:

1. Write a letter to the person you need to forgive. It helps you express negativity that might be in your soul. Write the letter even if you never mail it.
2. Burn the letter. Take the letter outside, light it with a match, let it burn into ashes, and send it out to the universe. That can help you to let go and forgive.
3. Speak Forgiveness. This can be telling another person (or yourself) that you truly have the one who wronged you. This helps seal the forgiveness. 

Additional Ways Dr. Nelson Recommends to Practice Forgiveness Through the Holidays and New Year:

• Strive for a state of acceptance and understanding of others, despite their negative behavior or difficult nature. If there's someone who has hurt you or wronged you in some way, and you haven't forgiven them, your stress level will high. A better way of living is to be at peace with the universe and with all our fellow beings. None of us are perfect and we all have reasons for acting the way we do.
• Don't forget to go easy on yourself: How many times have you chastised yourself for making a poor decision, lashing out at others, being clumsy, or running late for a meeting? Most mistakes we make won't affect us in the long run. In fact, by recognizing the value in our own folly, we can learn some of life's most valuable lessons! 
• Choose Positive Emotions: You are the pilot of your own life, and you can choose to make intelligent and balanced decisions. When you find yourself automatically being guided toward the emotion of anger, for example, wait a few seconds and ask yourself if it would better serve you to change course. The ability to choose more positive emotions is something all of us have, but it's like a muscle that needs regular exercise in order to serve us best. When you focus on flexing this muscle, you will learn to become more patient and your emotions will enhance your life instead of controlling it. This can also help you maintain healthy boundaries.
• Release Emotional Baggage: You can lower your stress level by getting clear on the underlying causes of negative emotional choices and nagging, negative thoughts. 

3-minuteIn today’s world, stress is all around us. As the quote above alludes to, most people are overwhelmed by stress and anxiety. Yet most avoid seeking help because of time, money or fear of looking vulnerable, unstable or weak. 

There's a lot of great information about the benefits of meditation and mindfulness and how it can it greatly improve quality of life when done consistently and also have short term, immediate benefits as well.

I've downloaded a number of meditation apps to my iPhone and while there were some I liked, I didn't use any of the meditation apps consistently. A couple of weeks I received a press release to try Aura which recently launched. Unlike the other apps I have tried, Aura delivers short, 3-minute guided meditations based on your mood. Featured in TechCrunch Aura was launched earlier this year and the differentiator is the responsiveness to the user. Aura’s 3-minute meditations were created by therapists and meditation teachers to help incorporate a consistent mindfulness practice into daily lives. It's also a great solution for people who have a tough time sitting still.

I found the app to be a very practical tool for self-care.  In fact, I have recommended it to personal friends and I like it so much that I am sharing it here with you now.

Steve Lee, co-founder and CEO of Aura Health says, “These meditations ...are focused on providing immediate emotional support" (and who doesn't need more support these days?) 

Aura helps create a healthy habit with minimal effort.

​What do I mean by this? Aura recommends the best meditation session based on positivity and stress levels, user input for meditations and on the user's demographics. When a new person joins Aura, the app will ask a few questions to better understand the person's familiarity with mindfulness and their needs. Based on these responses, a 3-minute meditation is sent each morning and after each session, the user is asked to rate the session. Aura algorithmically builds and then offers a customized experience for the user. Pretty cool. It's a much more personalized approach to meditation apps than I have seen before. 

• Free features: 3-minute guided meditations (once daily),a library of nature-based relaxation sounds including the following themes: rainforest, thunder, tropical, waterfall, blissful sounds and so on. My personal favorite is the rainforest. Other free features include a gratitude journal, mood tracking and reminders.
• ​Aura Premium In exchange for this write-up I was offered the Premium annual membership. Premium users can select as many meditation sessions as they wish and  also increase the session length to seven minutes.  Premium members also choose how they are feeling and Aura will match the best meditation.  

As part of the review, I was given a year of Aura Premium which I am using daily. The free features are very robust, so if you are on a budget, I still recommend this app. I actually look forward to Aura as a morning ritual. Each day there is a picture of nature and an inspirational quote which is on the screen before you start the meditation session. Being a writer, I am into quotable quotes and I also like sharing them which Aura allows you to do to. This is my new favorite health app! Highly Recommend.

Research shows that choosing positive messages changes both mindset and performance. There's empirical evidence  that prove positive language helps you stay motivated and overcome challenges - both in sports and in life. I believe in the power of words - and the importance of spreading positive messages at home and at work.

At the ISPA Media Event in LA, I met Leigh Weinraub, Founder of Mind in Motion, a fitness apparel company that uses positive psychology to uplift spirits and spread messages about living a good life. 

​What was your inspiration for your company? 
After spending so many hours as an athlete, coach and a therapist, and recognizing how hard it is to remember simple practice concepts, I started taking people I work with and writing words upside down on their shirts to see if it made a difference and inspire them to look within to take action.  I got so frustrated with the fact that so many people seek solutions from the outside, when the real power exists within each of us.  I wanted to motivate people to walk the walk and talk the talk and literally dress to win. 

​What do you hope to achieve with your products? 
I have a passion to re-standardize how we see fashion, practice rituals, lifestyle and mindset.  I want my products to open people's eyes to simple and actionable solutions.  There is so much research that shows seeing is believing and visual cues affect brain function, so why not use outfits as a measurable key to success.  I wanted to use clothing as the catalyst for personal improvement which would in turn lead to improved communities and widespread contagious positivity.  

​What do you hope to achieve with your products? 
I have a passion to re-standardize how we see fashion, practice rituals, lifestyle and mindset.  I want my products to open people's eyes to simple and actionable solutions.  There is so much research that shows seeing is believing and visual cues affect brain function, so why not use outfits as a measurable key to success.  I wanted to use clothing as the catalyst for personal improvement which would in turn lead to improved communities and widespread contagious positivity.  

​There's a lot of studies on positive messaging; what was the process you used to create your brand messages?
Because I have a background in psychology and sports performance, I was educated in the concept that one word mindsets help focus our racing brains.  I read a lot about how cue-ing the mind with simple reminders would both quiet the mind and improve performance.  The first words I ever drew on a student's t-shirt was "BREATHE" upside-down, and it worked.  She breathed her way to a big win.  From that point on, I committed to choosing actionable verbs that all people universally wish to practice. 

Why not a flashy brand? 
I wanted this brand to infect people with intention and action and didn't want anything flashy to get in the way.  I wanted the line to hone people to improve actual skills without distractions.  I intentionally wanted high quality, chic simplicity, less bells and whistles, more substance, less glamour.   I see my innovative word-robe as a vehicle for people to change how they feel, how they think and how they behave.  Consider this, how you dress is a reflection of who you are.  What you wear affects how you feel and what you project to the world.  Therefore, your daily uniform you might want to think twice about.  The pieces you choose from our collection, make a clear declaration for what you want to achieve.  

Is there different messaging for genders and age groups?
We offer a different manifesto (on the inside of the apparel) for children to inspire confidence, kindness and growth.  I will send you the image. Overall, we see our brand as a gender less, ageless, universal movement of essential virtues.  Anyone, anywhere, anytime, will benefit from the words and the materials we've designed.  

Name 3 of your top selling products. Why do they resonate with consumers? 
Our bamboo BREATHE collection (short sleeve, long sleeve shirts, and cozy pullover hoodies) are flying off the shelves.  All people take oxygen for granted and need that simple reminder.  
Our blanket of STRENGTH has recently hit the market, and is flying off the shelves.  Each and every word chosen on the blanket manifesto, was intended to inspire individuals facing difficulty, transition, illness or a crossroad, to find their internal source of strength and rise above and thrive with UNBREAKABLE spirit. The yoga hoodie is by far the most scrumptious, irresistible material you've ever felt.  People literally put them on and never want to take them off.  They also have an inspiring manifesto on the inside.  

What's your favorite product and why? 
My favorite product to wear, which I literally do everyday, is my MOVE bamboo t-shirt.  It makes me want to lace up my sneakers, sweat, and pump my veins with energizing endorphins.  As for my most prized creation, the STRENGTH blanket has such immense meaning to me.  When I started my line, I was purely thinking in terms of activewear as a cool luxury.  I began to hear stories about how our supporters thought my LOOK WITHIN concept was so empowering.  This lead me to the realization that I could take my concept people who needed it the most.  People facing illness, transition, loss, challenges, saw my blanket as a source of security, warmth and hope.  It was way more than a blanket.  I take great pride in knowing that not only are my products a great addition to one's casual closet but they are truly the most inspiring gift one could give and receive.

What advice can you give to people who want to live a happier and healthier life? 
"LOOK WITHIN.  REFLECT.  BREATHE.  MOVE. MOVE. MOVE.  IMAGINE.  FOCUS. MOVE. BREATHE. DREAM. REFLECT. LOOK WITHIN.  BREATHE. BREATHE. MOVE.  GET YOU MIND IN MOTION.  PRACTICE GRATITUDE, AND KNOW YOU ARE UNBREAKABLE."