| Dr. Corinne Weaver Why I am starting out my first column with improving your mood? Well, as a kid who was sick all the time and as a frustrated parent with a sick kid, I know that it's hard to be happy. We seem to always concentrate on the problems and not the solutions. I want you to be able to reread this column many times and remind yourself of these simple steps you can use to improve your mood so that you don't go mentally insane while dealing with sickness.  Twelve years ago, my mom was diagnosed with Stage 5 glioblastoma brain cancer and was given three months to live. Even though we eventually did lose her to cancer, she was able to live three years instead of three months. During that challenging time, I learned a lot about how to improve my mood. (Photo Credit: Dr. Corinne Weaver)
I hope these stories will speak to your heart and motivate you to smile more. According to Forbes, "Smilers exhibited lower heart rate levels after completing a stressful task compared to subjects who assumed a neutral expression." The question I want you to ask you right now is this: "Can you do these three steps today?" 1. Breathe! We are not taking the time to take deep breaths; we are always on the go-go-go. I understand. I have three kids and am constantly taking them here and there. The good thing is about this step is that you don't have to take a lot of time to breathe—all you need is a pair of lungs and a few minutes a day. You can train yourself to take deep belly breaths throughout the day. The more you take deep breaths, the more natural that kind of deep, easy breathing becomes. When you have better control of your breathing, you can lower your blood pressure and help your body de-stress. Bear in mind that when you are under a lot of stress, it is very hard for you to control your breath, so practice deep breathing now in order for you to have better control when stress hits. When my mom had cancer, every time I was with her, we took deep breaths together. Taking deep breaths together with your spouse or child helps you both relax—the brain will tell the body it's in a safe place.  2. Writing in a gratitude journal and listening to positive, uplifting music while you write is your next step. My all-time favorite song is "Grace and Gratitude" by Olivia Newton-John. Since Olivia is my aunt, she would come to my mom's log cabin and massage her feet while singing this song. The act of expressing gratitude can be so healing for your soul! We all have something to be thankful for, —we just need to be aware of it. Even my children love their gratitude journals. Mostly, they're full of beautiful images they create. Even though my mom had been diagnosed with the most horrible brain cancer, she wrote in a gratitude journal almost every day, too. (Photo Credit: Pixabay)
I thought I was always going to need my meds to survive daily life because that was what I always heard, but when a doctor told me "Your body can heal itself and you don't need these meds anymore," there was something inside me that started to believe this. My whole belief system had to change for me to be healed.  3. Smile! My mom smiled all the time, and everyone who knew her knew her smile and her loud laugh. I smile a lot, too—in a card my mom made me in 2005, she wrote "I see God in your smile." My smile brought her joy! Amazing how a simple smile can change your attitude in life. (Photo Credit: Pexels)
In Elf, a movie that my kids love to watch all year long, Will Ferrell is asked why he's smiling, and he responds by saying, "Smiling is my favorite!!" Smiling lowers your heart rate and makes you feel happy inside. Just like the song from Annie says, "You are never fully dressed without a smile." Back to expressing gratitude. Every day this week, I want to encourage you to write down at least seven things you are grateful for. (You can write down more if you want, of course.) The diary my mom and I shared is so precious to me. She was thankful for her cancer because it brought us closer together, and those memories of us writing together are truly the best. Make this a fun activity with your family. I hope my column speaks to you and you can wake up each morning with a purpose. What I do every day is a calling, and I give God the glory for allowing His gifts to work through me. I do believe in miracles, because I get to see them every day! If you would like to contact me with your health concerns email me directly at Dr@drcorinneweaver.com. I have written two books. You can purchase either one of them on Amazon at www.amazon.com/author/drcorinneweaver. For more information you can go to www.DrCorinneWeaver.com. Keep Breathing, Dr. Corinne Weaver
Email: Dr@DrCorinneWeaver.com
Website: www.DrCorinneWeaver.com Dr. Corinne Weaver is a compassionate upper cervical chiropractor, educator, motivational speaker, mother of three, and internationally bestselling author. In 2004, she founded the Upper Cervical Wellness Center in Indian Trail, North Carolina. Over the last 13 years, she has helped thousands of clients restore their brain to-body function. When she was 10 years old, she lost her own health as the result of a bike accident that led to having asthma and allergy issues that she thought she would always have to endure. Then, after her first upper cervical adjustment at age 21, her health began to improve thanks to upper cervical care and natural herbal remedies. This enabled her to create a drug-free wellness lifestyle for herself and her family, and she also enthusiastically discovered her calling to help children heal naturally. Dr. Weaver was recently named one of Charlotte Magazine's "Top Doctors" in 2016 and is now a number-one internationally bestselling author to two books: Learning How to Breathe and No More Meds. Upper Cervical Wellness Center is known for finding the root cause of health concerns through lifestyle changes, diagnostic testing, nutraceutical supplementation, and correction of subluxation (as opposed to just medicating the symptoms). The practice offers cutting-edge technological care at its state-of-the-art facility, including laser-aligned upper cervical X-rays, bioimpedance analysis (measures body composition), digital thermography (locates thermal abnormalities characterized by skin inflammation), and complete nutritional blood analysis, which is focused on disease prevention. Read more here. | 
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