Showing posts with label relax. Show all posts
Showing posts with label relax. Show all posts
Friday, 19 June 2020
Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Tuesday, 9 June 2020
5 Happiness Apps to Help With Anxiety
The Partridge Family sang, "Come On, Get Happy." But that's easier said than done right now in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Isolation and fear can make us struggle with our mental health. On top of that, stay-at-home orders can complicate getting help in more traditional ways.
But thanks to technology, apps are available to provide help with anxiety and depression at your fingertips. With that in mind, I'm sharing some happiness apps meant to help calm nerves and help you live a happier life, even during these difficult times.
Happify
A few years ago I tried the app Happify. It caught my attention. For one thing, the name is catchy. Plus, although I want to be happy, I'm also cheap at heart, and the basic version is absolutely free.
The idea behind this app is that all it takes is a few minutes a day and you'll be on the road to breaking free of negative thinking. You'll learn to cope with stress and develop positive life-changing habits with some fun exercises and games.
According to the app you can strengthen basic happiness skills like: savoring the moment, thanking those who matter, aspiring to meaningful goals, eliminating dead end thinking, empathizing with others, reducing stress and negative thoughts, and improving your relationships.
After you download the app and create an account, Happify will score your happiness based on a questionnaire. Then, the app provides you with a series of tracks that you can use to start living a healthy, stress-free life.
Next, you choose a "track" to get started. A caregiver for my mother at the time, I thought I'd start on the one for reducing stress and anxiety. My first assignment: list three things I'm grateful for - and the kicker that really helped me - explain why.
This app rates high on many lists of best happiness apps and I can see why.
Headspace
This is another app I've tried and love. Headspace provides tools and resources to help you stay mentally strong, reduce stress and anxiety, live healthier, breathe properly, sleep better, and have a happier life.
They offer a free two-week trial, after which you'll auto-enroll in their $69.99 a year plan. At the time of this writing, if you're unemployed, you can get a free year of Headspace Plus to help you get back on your feet.
I discovered this app while enrolled in Weight Watchers (WW), which offers it free as part of their program. I suffer from insomnia and their sleep meditation exercise helped me quiet my thoughts, breathe slower, and relax my body to ease me into sleep. I also used their "Take a moment to pause" exercise to help me stop for a few minutes when I felt stressed and refocus.
Calm is a similar app for sleep, meditation and relaxation to help you lower stress through guided meditations, sleep stories, breathing programs, stretching exercises, and relaxing music. Calm offers a 7-day trial, but after that you'll be automatically enrolled in their $69.99 a year plan.
Real Life Change
The app Real Life Change is meant to be a portable life coach, designed to take your social interactions, moods, decisions, discoveries, and emotions that you experience each day and provide you with meaningful, actionable feedback to help you live a better and more mindful life.
The basic plan is free. This app is available only on the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.
Track Your Happiness
Track Your Happiness is a free app used with your smartphone. You spend about 10 minutes answering questions, then you're contacted by e-mail or text - you choose how often you want the app to prompt you - and are asked to report what you're doing and how you're feeling.
A customized happiness report tracks your moods so you can learn what makes you happy, who makes you happy, and where you feel the happiest.
Super Better
Super Better has made building happiness a game with short easy activities you complete as you go on quests to build happiness-boosting skills like resilience.
Their site claims that millions have played SuperBetter to achieve goals and tackle challenges including anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and more. The Original Super Better is available for free.
Need more than an app? You may want to check out Talkspace which allows users to connect virtually with a licensed therapist. For $49 per week, you'll have private access to a therapist via text, audio or video chat, as often as daily or multiple times per day.
I'll let you make up your own minds. Find what works best for you and your life. There's many more apps available than the five I've listed. Who knows? A happiness app just might prove to be useful to you and provide feedback to brighten your day during these stressful times.
Julie A. Gorges is an award-winning author and journalist writing about life after 50. Her blog, BabyBoomerBliss.net, was selected as one of the top 50 baby boomer blogs to follow in 2019 by Feedspot. Her books, including her latest "Ten Secrets to Losing Weight After 50," are available on Amazon. To learn more about Julie, visit her author website at juliegorges.com.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Julie_Gorges/1755531
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10299919
But thanks to technology, apps are available to provide help with anxiety and depression at your fingertips. With that in mind, I'm sharing some happiness apps meant to help calm nerves and help you live a happier life, even during these difficult times.
Happify
A few years ago I tried the app Happify. It caught my attention. For one thing, the name is catchy. Plus, although I want to be happy, I'm also cheap at heart, and the basic version is absolutely free.
The idea behind this app is that all it takes is a few minutes a day and you'll be on the road to breaking free of negative thinking. You'll learn to cope with stress and develop positive life-changing habits with some fun exercises and games.
According to the app you can strengthen basic happiness skills like: savoring the moment, thanking those who matter, aspiring to meaningful goals, eliminating dead end thinking, empathizing with others, reducing stress and negative thoughts, and improving your relationships.
After you download the app and create an account, Happify will score your happiness based on a questionnaire. Then, the app provides you with a series of tracks that you can use to start living a healthy, stress-free life.
Next, you choose a "track" to get started. A caregiver for my mother at the time, I thought I'd start on the one for reducing stress and anxiety. My first assignment: list three things I'm grateful for - and the kicker that really helped me - explain why.
This app rates high on many lists of best happiness apps and I can see why.
Headspace
This is another app I've tried and love. Headspace provides tools and resources to help you stay mentally strong, reduce stress and anxiety, live healthier, breathe properly, sleep better, and have a happier life.
They offer a free two-week trial, after which you'll auto-enroll in their $69.99 a year plan. At the time of this writing, if you're unemployed, you can get a free year of Headspace Plus to help you get back on your feet.
I discovered this app while enrolled in Weight Watchers (WW), which offers it free as part of their program. I suffer from insomnia and their sleep meditation exercise helped me quiet my thoughts, breathe slower, and relax my body to ease me into sleep. I also used their "Take a moment to pause" exercise to help me stop for a few minutes when I felt stressed and refocus.
Calm is a similar app for sleep, meditation and relaxation to help you lower stress through guided meditations, sleep stories, breathing programs, stretching exercises, and relaxing music. Calm offers a 7-day trial, but after that you'll be automatically enrolled in their $69.99 a year plan.
Real Life Change
The app Real Life Change is meant to be a portable life coach, designed to take your social interactions, moods, decisions, discoveries, and emotions that you experience each day and provide you with meaningful, actionable feedback to help you live a better and more mindful life.
The basic plan is free. This app is available only on the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.
Track Your Happiness
Track Your Happiness is a free app used with your smartphone. You spend about 10 minutes answering questions, then you're contacted by e-mail or text - you choose how often you want the app to prompt you - and are asked to report what you're doing and how you're feeling.
A customized happiness report tracks your moods so you can learn what makes you happy, who makes you happy, and where you feel the happiest.
Super Better
Super Better has made building happiness a game with short easy activities you complete as you go on quests to build happiness-boosting skills like resilience.
Their site claims that millions have played SuperBetter to achieve goals and tackle challenges including anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and more. The Original Super Better is available for free.
Need more than an app? You may want to check out Talkspace which allows users to connect virtually with a licensed therapist. For $49 per week, you'll have private access to a therapist via text, audio or video chat, as often as daily or multiple times per day.
I'll let you make up your own minds. Find what works best for you and your life. There's many more apps available than the five I've listed. Who knows? A happiness app just might prove to be useful to you and provide feedback to brighten your day during these stressful times.
Julie A. Gorges is an award-winning author and journalist writing about life after 50. Her blog, BabyBoomerBliss.net, was selected as one of the top 50 baby boomer blogs to follow in 2019 by Feedspot. Her books, including her latest "Ten Secrets to Losing Weight After 50," are available on Amazon. To learn more about Julie, visit her author website at juliegorges.com.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Julie_Gorges/1755531
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10299919
Sunday, 7 June 2020
Why Sleep Is So Powerful For Mental Health
In this fast-paced western society we are constantly connected and available 247, we have information flowing into us on a daily basis and there's an increasing expectation for us to respond instantly. Given all of this, there a growing need for us to be operating or functioning in terms of our mental health not just at 'normal' or 'acceptable' levels, but 'optimal' levels.
Optimal means we are functioning at the highest levels mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually, such that we're able to cope well with the demands of life. If we are operating at sub-optimal level, it's much harder for us to perform even the basic of life's functions.
So how do we ensure our health and wellbeing levels are what they should be?
One key contributory factor for long-term mental health and wellness is to ensure we have 7-9 hours of good quality sleep per night.
Repair
Sleep repairs the body. This has a positive knock-on effect to how you function cognitively the next and following days. When we sleep, we sleep in cycles of 60-90 minutes. During that time we oscillate between deep (so-called delta) sleep where the body repairs itself and the lighter REM sleep.
Recall
REM (rapid-eye-movement) sleep, or lighter sleep, moves information from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. This helps you to better recall information you absorb on a daily basis. It is during this REM phase of sleep that your eyes move rapidly from side to side (hence the name) and that you dream.
Rhythm
Getting to bed at the right time (ideally 10pm) and getting the right amount of sleep every night keeps your circadian rhythm in check. Your circadian rhythm is your natural body clock that gives you signals when it's time for you to sleep and when it's time for you to wake up. Working shift patterns (especially night shifts) can knock this out of balance which can have major consequences not only for your mental and physical health but also for your gut health.
Lack of good quality sleep means that instead of being fully awake and energised during the day, you may find yourself sleepy, sluggish and unable to focus for any significant length of time. In addition, when you're in bed at night you may feel 'tired and wired' (meaning your body is physically tired, but your mind is wide awake and you're therefore unable to sleep).
Melatonin, the hormone that prepares your body for sleep, and serotonin (your awake hormone) need to be in balance for you to function at your best in the day. This means melatonin kicks in naturally from around 9pm (to help you sleep) until about 7am when serotonin is released to take you through the day. When this melatonin, serotonin cycle is in balance you are fully awake during the day and sleepy at night (when you should be). This in turn means you get a better night's sleep.
Immune Booster
So never underestimate the power of sleep if you value your health and wellbeing. Good quality sleep not only helps us function more effectively, it also boosts our immune system, helping us to stave off viruses and other infections that we would more easily catch with an inferior level and quality of sleep.
Sleep is therefore one of the fundamental pillars of amazing health and wellbeing. Without it we may over time find ourselves not only operating under par but opening ourselves up to chronic exhaustive conditions such as ME, chronic fatigue syndrome, or fibromyalgia. These conditions can be debilitating and could, if not kept in check, leave us either bed bound or wheelchair bound.
So a key way to look after your mental health over the long term is to ensure that you not only get your 7-9 hours but that you ensure that you go to bed at the right time to increase your chances of getting a much better night's sleep.
Carmen Gilfillan is the founder of Stimulus Development & Training. Stimulus specialises in helping people overcome emotional trauma, experience emotional breakthroughs, boost their health naturally and live their best lives. We do this through Life & Wellness Coaching, Emotional Freedom consultations and training in the areas of personal, professional and spiritual growth. Check out our website at http://www.stimulus.uk.com to book your free Emotional Breakthrough consultation.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Carmen_Gilfillan/694789
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10155606
Optimal means we are functioning at the highest levels mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually, such that we're able to cope well with the demands of life. If we are operating at sub-optimal level, it's much harder for us to perform even the basic of life's functions.
So how do we ensure our health and wellbeing levels are what they should be?
One key contributory factor for long-term mental health and wellness is to ensure we have 7-9 hours of good quality sleep per night.
Repair
Sleep repairs the body. This has a positive knock-on effect to how you function cognitively the next and following days. When we sleep, we sleep in cycles of 60-90 minutes. During that time we oscillate between deep (so-called delta) sleep where the body repairs itself and the lighter REM sleep.
Recall
REM (rapid-eye-movement) sleep, or lighter sleep, moves information from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. This helps you to better recall information you absorb on a daily basis. It is during this REM phase of sleep that your eyes move rapidly from side to side (hence the name) and that you dream.
Rhythm
Getting to bed at the right time (ideally 10pm) and getting the right amount of sleep every night keeps your circadian rhythm in check. Your circadian rhythm is your natural body clock that gives you signals when it's time for you to sleep and when it's time for you to wake up. Working shift patterns (especially night shifts) can knock this out of balance which can have major consequences not only for your mental and physical health but also for your gut health.
Lack of good quality sleep means that instead of being fully awake and energised during the day, you may find yourself sleepy, sluggish and unable to focus for any significant length of time. In addition, when you're in bed at night you may feel 'tired and wired' (meaning your body is physically tired, but your mind is wide awake and you're therefore unable to sleep).
Melatonin, the hormone that prepares your body for sleep, and serotonin (your awake hormone) need to be in balance for you to function at your best in the day. This means melatonin kicks in naturally from around 9pm (to help you sleep) until about 7am when serotonin is released to take you through the day. When this melatonin, serotonin cycle is in balance you are fully awake during the day and sleepy at night (when you should be). This in turn means you get a better night's sleep.
Immune Booster
So never underestimate the power of sleep if you value your health and wellbeing. Good quality sleep not only helps us function more effectively, it also boosts our immune system, helping us to stave off viruses and other infections that we would more easily catch with an inferior level and quality of sleep.
Sleep is therefore one of the fundamental pillars of amazing health and wellbeing. Without it we may over time find ourselves not only operating under par but opening ourselves up to chronic exhaustive conditions such as ME, chronic fatigue syndrome, or fibromyalgia. These conditions can be debilitating and could, if not kept in check, leave us either bed bound or wheelchair bound.
So a key way to look after your mental health over the long term is to ensure that you not only get your 7-9 hours but that you ensure that you go to bed at the right time to increase your chances of getting a much better night's sleep.
Carmen Gilfillan is the founder of Stimulus Development & Training. Stimulus specialises in helping people overcome emotional trauma, experience emotional breakthroughs, boost their health naturally and live their best lives. We do this through Life & Wellness Coaching, Emotional Freedom consultations and training in the areas of personal, professional and spiritual growth. Check out our website at http://www.stimulus.uk.com to book your free Emotional Breakthrough consultation.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Carmen_Gilfillan/694789
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10155606
Friday, 5 June 2020
Six More Quick Tips to Reduce Stress
Stress affects us all in different ways at different times, to different degrees and for different reasons. It could be something relatively trivial or due to a more significant cause. Either way, it is important to try to reduce stress otherwise it can get out of control and affect your health. Here are six quick tips which can help to reduce and manage stress. I hope you find them useful.
Tip 1: Have a You Day
This may sound obvious - we all need some alone time for ourselves to try to get away from things for a while.
Life is tough enough with all the demands it places on us which in turn can cause stress as life gets on top of us.
Make a conscious effort to split yourself of some time for YOU.
No distractions, turn off the laptop, turn off the mobile - your you time is for YOU - nobody else.
Then do whatever you feel like doing that makes you feel happy and less stressed.
That might be reading a book, listening to your favourite music, generally chilling out.
Find the time to switch off for a while and you'll feel better for it.
Tip 2: Your Happy Place
Another quick stress reduction tip is when the going gets tough to imagine yourself in your happy place.
We've all got one (or perhaps more than one) - imagine you are there and how it makes you feel.
This is sometimes known as guided imagery and has been around for hundreds of years.
If you want to get in to it seriously there are guided imagery therapists and practitioners you could see.
Or you can buy up guided imagery books and CDs.
And of course there's good old YouTube for videos.
Guided imagery goes hand-in-hand with meditation which is another technique to help with stress reduction and management.
Tip 3: Clean and De-Clutter
A clean and tidy home (silly as it may sound) can help with stress reduction and management.
Sift through everything you have and identify what you do need/has value to you and what does not - be brutal - what can you live without.
Anything you can live without or no longer need you may be able to sell online or donate to charity.
Next clean the house - not necessarily all in one go (you can if you want to of course) - perhaps a room at a time.
Just the exercise involved in cleaning will stimulate hormones which help to make you feel good.
To help pass the time whilst you clean put on your favourite CD.
A clean and tidy home makes you feel better too doesn't it?
Tip 4: Digital De-Clutter
Now you have de-cluttered and cleaned the house, it's time to do the same for your digital life.
Emails, social media, the pressure for instant replies, more likes, more Twitter followers and keeping on top of all that can be stressful in itself - right?
So have a digital clean up and de-clutter.
Remove yourself from email lists you do not need to be on.
Turn off notifications, alters and similar which you do not need.
Set aside specific times of the day to check your emails instead of constantly (may not apply to work emails of course).
And turn everything off (or at least on silent) before bedtime because you don't need to be awoken throughout the night with emails pinging in and social media alters popping up.
Tip #5: Relaxing Sounds
This stress reduction tip ties in with the happy place tip we looked at earlier.
The right sort of sound can help you to relax and de-stress.
Just like closing your eyes and going to your happy place, listening to a relaxing sound for a while can have the same effect.
It might be bird song, waterfalls, gentle waves breaking, whale song and similar - whatever works for you.
Any number of relaxation sound CDs, streaming and downloads available everywhere.
Plug yourself in, listen, relax and feel the stress leave you.
Tip #6: Meditate
A spot of meditation can help tremendously with stress reduction and your state of mind in general.
This can be a simple as sitting down, clearing your mind and doing some repeated deep breathing.
In for four seconds to fill your lungs, hold, breathe out slowly and repeat for a few minutes.
Not unlike being in your happy place we touched on earlier.
If you fancy getting in to meditation and you have a smartphone there are any number of meditation apps to download.
And of course any number of books, videos etc.
In addition to helping reduce stress, meditation can help with anxiety depression and high blood pressure.
Start now. Take some action. One step at a time. Do not procrastinate
There is no right or wrong order in which to try these stress reduction tips. See which work for you.
You may be interested to explore stress reduction techniques further in more depth. To do that, here is a video course containing nine stress reduction action plan s. It is available on Skillshare and you can access it today by clicking here.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Andy_Machin/16946
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10284733
Tip 1: Have a You Day
This may sound obvious - we all need some alone time for ourselves to try to get away from things for a while.
Life is tough enough with all the demands it places on us which in turn can cause stress as life gets on top of us.
Make a conscious effort to split yourself of some time for YOU.
No distractions, turn off the laptop, turn off the mobile - your you time is for YOU - nobody else.
Then do whatever you feel like doing that makes you feel happy and less stressed.
That might be reading a book, listening to your favourite music, generally chilling out.
Find the time to switch off for a while and you'll feel better for it.
Tip 2: Your Happy Place
Another quick stress reduction tip is when the going gets tough to imagine yourself in your happy place.
We've all got one (or perhaps more than one) - imagine you are there and how it makes you feel.
This is sometimes known as guided imagery and has been around for hundreds of years.
If you want to get in to it seriously there are guided imagery therapists and practitioners you could see.
Or you can buy up guided imagery books and CDs.
And of course there's good old YouTube for videos.
Guided imagery goes hand-in-hand with meditation which is another technique to help with stress reduction and management.
Tip 3: Clean and De-Clutter
A clean and tidy home (silly as it may sound) can help with stress reduction and management.
Sift through everything you have and identify what you do need/has value to you and what does not - be brutal - what can you live without.
Anything you can live without or no longer need you may be able to sell online or donate to charity.
Next clean the house - not necessarily all in one go (you can if you want to of course) - perhaps a room at a time.
Just the exercise involved in cleaning will stimulate hormones which help to make you feel good.
To help pass the time whilst you clean put on your favourite CD.
A clean and tidy home makes you feel better too doesn't it?
Tip 4: Digital De-Clutter
Now you have de-cluttered and cleaned the house, it's time to do the same for your digital life.
Emails, social media, the pressure for instant replies, more likes, more Twitter followers and keeping on top of all that can be stressful in itself - right?
So have a digital clean up and de-clutter.
Remove yourself from email lists you do not need to be on.
Turn off notifications, alters and similar which you do not need.
Set aside specific times of the day to check your emails instead of constantly (may not apply to work emails of course).
And turn everything off (or at least on silent) before bedtime because you don't need to be awoken throughout the night with emails pinging in and social media alters popping up.
Tip #5: Relaxing Sounds
This stress reduction tip ties in with the happy place tip we looked at earlier.
The right sort of sound can help you to relax and de-stress.
Just like closing your eyes and going to your happy place, listening to a relaxing sound for a while can have the same effect.
It might be bird song, waterfalls, gentle waves breaking, whale song and similar - whatever works for you.
Any number of relaxation sound CDs, streaming and downloads available everywhere.
Plug yourself in, listen, relax and feel the stress leave you.
Tip #6: Meditate
A spot of meditation can help tremendously with stress reduction and your state of mind in general.
This can be a simple as sitting down, clearing your mind and doing some repeated deep breathing.
In for four seconds to fill your lungs, hold, breathe out slowly and repeat for a few minutes.
Not unlike being in your happy place we touched on earlier.
If you fancy getting in to meditation and you have a smartphone there are any number of meditation apps to download.
And of course any number of books, videos etc.
In addition to helping reduce stress, meditation can help with anxiety depression and high blood pressure.
Start now. Take some action. One step at a time. Do not procrastinate
There is no right or wrong order in which to try these stress reduction tips. See which work for you.
You may be interested to explore stress reduction techniques further in more depth. To do that, here is a video course containing nine stress reduction action plan s. It is available on Skillshare and you can access it today by clicking here.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Andy_Machin/16946
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10284733
Thursday, 4 June 2020
Sunday, 31 May 2020
What To Do When You Feel Your Best Isn't Enough
There are essential factors that sustain solid an individual's development and advancement. Do you feel you give life your best, work hard, try hard, but still can't give yourself credit? While it appears to be anything but difficult to grasp mentally, freeing oneself from old negative messages is a journey of recovery which takes some serious work.
There is commonly a great deal of strain t in our way of life. We feel as though there is some kind of problem with us if, for instance, we're still single despite our age, never find another love after a broken marriage, don't make a specific measure of salary, don't have a huge group of friends, or don't look and act a specific path within the sight of others. The rundown could genuinely go on for eternity.
Now and again amidst all the pressures, we still appear to thoroughly overlook all the superb, interesting things about ourselves. We stall out in our minds and permit our inward pundit to totally destroy our confidence until such time that we detest ourselves for being not like everyone else.
Sometimes, we need other people's feedback to make us fully aware of the considerable number of things we beat ourselves up over that don't make a difference. We invest too much energy to get ourselves ahead of others. But still, it's not enough. We still want for more without realizing that we may regret these considerations every time.
We always compare ourselves to others,however, those individuals who appear to have everything don't bother to think about it. At the point when you take a gander at others through a perspective of empathy and seeing as opposed to judgment and desire, you are better ready to perceive the truth about them. They are wonderfully flawed people experiencing a similar general difficulties that we as a whole experience.
There is more right with you than amiss with you. Until you quit breathing, there's more right with you than amiss with you. As somebody who some of the time will in general focus in on the entirety of our apparent imperfections, it assists with recollecting that there are loads of things we like about ourselves as well-like the way that we live and breath and ready to clear new ways at whatever point we pick.
You need love the most when you believe you merit it the least. This was an ongoing revelation of mine, in spite of the fact that I'm certain it's been said commonly previously. I find that it is generally hard to acknowledge love and comprehension from others when I'm in a condition of outrage, disgrace, tension, or discouragement. However, embracing the above truth truly moved my viewpoint and caused me to understand that affection is really the best blessing we can get during such occasions.
We need to completely acknowledge and cause harmony with the present before we can reach and feel happy with what's to come. One thing I've found out about is that you can't completely feel happy with where you're going until you can acknowledge, recognize, and acknowledge where you are. Grasp and make harmony with where you are, and your excursion toward something new will feel significantly more serene, and fulfilling.
Concentrate on progress as opposed to flawlessness and on how far you've come instead of how far you have left to go.One of the greatest reasons for self-hatred is the recklessly determined twisted need to take care of business. We take a stab at flawlessness and achievement, and when we miss the mark, we feel exactly useless. What we fail to acknowledge is that moving in the direction of our objectives and being happy to put ourselves out there are achievements inside themselves, paying little mind to how frequently we fall flat.
Rather than chiding yourself for failing and lurching in reverse, give yourself a gesture of congratulations for having a go at, gaining ground, and coming the extent that you have. You can't despise your way into adoring yourself. Mentioning to yourself what a disappointment you are won't make you any progressively fruitful. Disclosing to yourself you're not satisfying your maximum capacity won't assist you with arriving at a higher potential. Disclosing to yourself you're useless and unlovable won't cause you to feel any increasingly commendable or adorable.
It sounds annoyingly straightforward, yet the best way to develop self esteem is to adore yourself. Pay little heed to what your identity is and where you stand and regardless of whether you realize you need to change. You are sufficient just like what you seem to be. What's more, self esteem is somewhat simpler each time you help yourself to remember that.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Rosemarie_Sumalinog_Gonzales/1972656
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10274728
There is commonly a great deal of strain t in our way of life. We feel as though there is some kind of problem with us if, for instance, we're still single despite our age, never find another love after a broken marriage, don't make a specific measure of salary, don't have a huge group of friends, or don't look and act a specific path within the sight of others. The rundown could genuinely go on for eternity.
Now and again amidst all the pressures, we still appear to thoroughly overlook all the superb, interesting things about ourselves. We stall out in our minds and permit our inward pundit to totally destroy our confidence until such time that we detest ourselves for being not like everyone else.
Sometimes, we need other people's feedback to make us fully aware of the considerable number of things we beat ourselves up over that don't make a difference. We invest too much energy to get ourselves ahead of others. But still, it's not enough. We still want for more without realizing that we may regret these considerations every time.
We always compare ourselves to others,however, those individuals who appear to have everything don't bother to think about it. At the point when you take a gander at others through a perspective of empathy and seeing as opposed to judgment and desire, you are better ready to perceive the truth about them. They are wonderfully flawed people experiencing a similar general difficulties that we as a whole experience.
There is more right with you than amiss with you. Until you quit breathing, there's more right with you than amiss with you. As somebody who some of the time will in general focus in on the entirety of our apparent imperfections, it assists with recollecting that there are loads of things we like about ourselves as well-like the way that we live and breath and ready to clear new ways at whatever point we pick.
You need love the most when you believe you merit it the least. This was an ongoing revelation of mine, in spite of the fact that I'm certain it's been said commonly previously. I find that it is generally hard to acknowledge love and comprehension from others when I'm in a condition of outrage, disgrace, tension, or discouragement. However, embracing the above truth truly moved my viewpoint and caused me to understand that affection is really the best blessing we can get during such occasions.
We need to completely acknowledge and cause harmony with the present before we can reach and feel happy with what's to come. One thing I've found out about is that you can't completely feel happy with where you're going until you can acknowledge, recognize, and acknowledge where you are. Grasp and make harmony with where you are, and your excursion toward something new will feel significantly more serene, and fulfilling.
Concentrate on progress as opposed to flawlessness and on how far you've come instead of how far you have left to go.One of the greatest reasons for self-hatred is the recklessly determined twisted need to take care of business. We take a stab at flawlessness and achievement, and when we miss the mark, we feel exactly useless. What we fail to acknowledge is that moving in the direction of our objectives and being happy to put ourselves out there are achievements inside themselves, paying little mind to how frequently we fall flat.
Rather than chiding yourself for failing and lurching in reverse, give yourself a gesture of congratulations for having a go at, gaining ground, and coming the extent that you have. You can't despise your way into adoring yourself. Mentioning to yourself what a disappointment you are won't make you any progressively fruitful. Disclosing to yourself you're not satisfying your maximum capacity won't assist you with arriving at a higher potential. Disclosing to yourself you're useless and unlovable won't cause you to feel any increasingly commendable or adorable.
It sounds annoyingly straightforward, yet the best way to develop self esteem is to adore yourself. Pay little heed to what your identity is and where you stand and regardless of whether you realize you need to change. You are sufficient just like what you seem to be. What's more, self esteem is somewhat simpler each time you help yourself to remember that.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Rosemarie_Sumalinog_Gonzales/1972656
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10274728
Sunday, 24 May 2020
Can You Gage Your Level of Subconscious Stress?
Did you know that stress presents itself in different degrees? That it can start by something as simple as daily worries? That it accumulates in us? That it can be silently consuming our subconscious capacities? That it can still be properly handled and managed?
Although stress is quite a modern concept, Hippocrates already discussed anxiety back in the 4th century BC. It is a problem that humanity has had to deal with since the dawn of time. In spite of which, we still seems to know very little about how to handle it.
In my line of work, humanology, I come across a lot of people who suffer from all types of stress and have come to some conclusions that I'd like to share with you here today, together with a few tips and tricks in the hope that they can help you.
Worry, fear, anxiety and panic can be just different forms and degrees of stress: When any of those forms of fear is present in a person's life too often, chances are that they end up escalating into the next level in this progression.
Worry can also become a form of stress when the person can't control it. Those who can't stop worrying over things end up accumulating a lot of cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine, which are slowly released by their system each time they plan to "fix" a problem by getting ready for it. They are regularly preparing their bodies for the "bad something" to come. There are certain trends at this level:
Overthinking is a form of constant worry.Those who can't stop thinking without control, whose thoughts govern them, tend to always think about problems and worries. They can't seem to be able to disconnect from their worries and are therefore constantly releasing stress-based chemicals. Daydreamers are one type of overthinkers. Most daydreamers spend their time also worrying, not enjoying fun or positive imaginations.
The excessive need to control everything is another form of worry.Those who need to have everything under their control, the so-called control freaks, are in a permanent state of worry over their losing such control.
When the worry turns into "what if... " questions, it becomes fear. Worrying over something can grow into fearing it very easily. All "what if... " questions indicate some kind of fear. "What if that doesn't work out the way I want it to? What if that other thing happens? What if that person fails... " all indicate a fear of something happening or not in the future. The worry becomes more focused and the feeling more acute. The person's body segregates bigger amounts of chemicals.
Constant worry and fear have a cumulative stressful effect in us. Being in a constant state of worry or fear leads to an excess of chemicals in our bodies. Those chemicals, if not properly managed and released, will accumulate in a person's body and could grow into silent anxiety.
Worry, fear and anxiety can occupy a huge part of our subconscious capacity. When a person is silently and subconsciously handling worry, fear and anxiety many hours a day, that person's brain is working overtime.
The person is not aware of it. The conscious part of that person's brain will deal with the conscious symptoms of worry, fear and anxiety, whenever aware of them, but the subconscious ones will still grow and multiply, making use of the person's subconscious mechanisms and capacity.
The mind is like an iceberg and our conscious mind is nothing but the very tiny tip. When a person suffers from chronic worry, fear or anxiety, visible, noticeable symptoms will be tackled. Unfortunately, that same person will also be subconsciously working on silent stress, trying to manage it, while it gradually accumulates inside due to a lack of adequate release mechanisms for the non-stop triggers. This reality is one of the main reasons why worry and fear can end up escalating into anxiety.
When the subconscious can't handle it, the conscious mind will release it. The subconscious tries to keep up with the stress, the worry, the fear, mostly by keeping it all bottled up inside, until its mere amount is so huge, that it overflows into the conscious mind in the form of anxiety or panic symptoms. Thus, all those never-released chemicals end up forcing the person to stop and do something. By then, handling them is obviously much harder. There might be years of accumulation and poor handling.
So, then, what can we do? There are some obvious answers to that question. But maybe not so many obvious tools. Let me offer you a couple of both.
Work with a humanologist. That is, of course, the most obvious solution J. Humanologists are experts in human beings and can expand on the understanding and tools beyond the scope of this article. Seek one out to help you recognize your level of stress, your triggers and the personal tools you need to change that trend in you. In the meantime, you can try the following tips as well:
Stop accumulating. Yes, even though that sounds obvious, how is it done? How can an overthinker stop thinking? How can a worrier stop worrying?
Mindfulness: Fear is ALWAYS in the future. What if... always refers to something that hasn't quite happened yet. Therefore, learning to be in the here and the now is key to those people. Learn to return from the future to the present. The more often you get back to the present, the less negative chemicals your system will be releasing. Learn and use mindfulness techniques to force yourself to be in the present as often as possible.
Connect with the world outside. Many people who suffer from worry, fear, anxiety and panic spend their hours inside themselves. They often spend many hours in their heads. And they sometimes forget to connect with the world outside, with their reality. The more time a person spends inside, without a clear connecting line with the world outside, the greater the chance to fall into this stress trap. KEEP IN CONTACT WITH THE OUTSIDE REALITY at all times. Yes, introspection is great... as long as you are not disconnected from reality. Yes, meditation is great... as long as you are not disconnected from reality. Yes, being inside one's personal sphere is great... as long as you're not disconnected from reality. Then, make the CONSCIOUS effort to remain connected to reality and the outside world, no matter what. Keep on coming out for air and a clear anchor on reality.
Time boxes. Design a certain fixed time to worry every day. Give yourself the chance to really worry for, let's say, an hour a day. AND THAT IS IT! Once the hour is over, any time your worry, fear or anxiety comes calling again, tell it to return tomorrow, for the next time box.
Fight negative with positive. Some other happier chemicals can help you reduce the levels of accumulated cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine in your body: oxytocin, endorphins, serotonin, dopamine and the like. Learn how to release them more often and in greater quantities for two reasons:
They fight the bad guys. Good chemicals will make you feel better and will help you relax almost immediately. Which means that the good ones will target some of the negative chemicals.
When your body is releasing these, it can't be releasing those. Thus, if your body is busy flushing your system with wonderful oxytocin, it can't be producing the nasty products at the same time.
The positive result is therefore double: there are less bad chemicals in you because the good ones are fighting them and you're producing less because you're busy doing something else.
Let them go! Nothing will work if you continue creating more and more of the nasty chemicals. Learn some tools to get rid of the stress you already have inside: exercise, practice laughing, apply the tools mentioned above to counteract and release the nasty bugs, and take control of your own being.
All these tips will help you handle your stress a bit better. Don't let it grow in you until it becomes unmanageable. Seek help now instead of letting it overtake you and control your will. It can be done.
Enjoy life... ALL of it,
Learn more in my book: The Optimist in You https://www.amazon.com/Optimist-You-Optimism-Coaching-Handbook/dp/151161160X
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jessica_J_Lockhart/2431530
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10151274
Although stress is quite a modern concept, Hippocrates already discussed anxiety back in the 4th century BC. It is a problem that humanity has had to deal with since the dawn of time. In spite of which, we still seems to know very little about how to handle it.
In my line of work, humanology, I come across a lot of people who suffer from all types of stress and have come to some conclusions that I'd like to share with you here today, together with a few tips and tricks in the hope that they can help you.
Worry, fear, anxiety and panic can be just different forms and degrees of stress: When any of those forms of fear is present in a person's life too often, chances are that they end up escalating into the next level in this progression.
Worry can also become a form of stress when the person can't control it. Those who can't stop worrying over things end up accumulating a lot of cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine, which are slowly released by their system each time they plan to "fix" a problem by getting ready for it. They are regularly preparing their bodies for the "bad something" to come. There are certain trends at this level:
Overthinking is a form of constant worry.Those who can't stop thinking without control, whose thoughts govern them, tend to always think about problems and worries. They can't seem to be able to disconnect from their worries and are therefore constantly releasing stress-based chemicals. Daydreamers are one type of overthinkers. Most daydreamers spend their time also worrying, not enjoying fun or positive imaginations.
The excessive need to control everything is another form of worry.Those who need to have everything under their control, the so-called control freaks, are in a permanent state of worry over their losing such control.
When the worry turns into "what if... " questions, it becomes fear. Worrying over something can grow into fearing it very easily. All "what if... " questions indicate some kind of fear. "What if that doesn't work out the way I want it to? What if that other thing happens? What if that person fails... " all indicate a fear of something happening or not in the future. The worry becomes more focused and the feeling more acute. The person's body segregates bigger amounts of chemicals.
Constant worry and fear have a cumulative stressful effect in us. Being in a constant state of worry or fear leads to an excess of chemicals in our bodies. Those chemicals, if not properly managed and released, will accumulate in a person's body and could grow into silent anxiety.
Worry, fear and anxiety can occupy a huge part of our subconscious capacity. When a person is silently and subconsciously handling worry, fear and anxiety many hours a day, that person's brain is working overtime.
The person is not aware of it. The conscious part of that person's brain will deal with the conscious symptoms of worry, fear and anxiety, whenever aware of them, but the subconscious ones will still grow and multiply, making use of the person's subconscious mechanisms and capacity.
The mind is like an iceberg and our conscious mind is nothing but the very tiny tip. When a person suffers from chronic worry, fear or anxiety, visible, noticeable symptoms will be tackled. Unfortunately, that same person will also be subconsciously working on silent stress, trying to manage it, while it gradually accumulates inside due to a lack of adequate release mechanisms for the non-stop triggers. This reality is one of the main reasons why worry and fear can end up escalating into anxiety.
When the subconscious can't handle it, the conscious mind will release it. The subconscious tries to keep up with the stress, the worry, the fear, mostly by keeping it all bottled up inside, until its mere amount is so huge, that it overflows into the conscious mind in the form of anxiety or panic symptoms. Thus, all those never-released chemicals end up forcing the person to stop and do something. By then, handling them is obviously much harder. There might be years of accumulation and poor handling.
So, then, what can we do? There are some obvious answers to that question. But maybe not so many obvious tools. Let me offer you a couple of both.
Work with a humanologist. That is, of course, the most obvious solution J. Humanologists are experts in human beings and can expand on the understanding and tools beyond the scope of this article. Seek one out to help you recognize your level of stress, your triggers and the personal tools you need to change that trend in you. In the meantime, you can try the following tips as well:
Stop accumulating. Yes, even though that sounds obvious, how is it done? How can an overthinker stop thinking? How can a worrier stop worrying?
Mindfulness: Fear is ALWAYS in the future. What if... always refers to something that hasn't quite happened yet. Therefore, learning to be in the here and the now is key to those people. Learn to return from the future to the present. The more often you get back to the present, the less negative chemicals your system will be releasing. Learn and use mindfulness techniques to force yourself to be in the present as often as possible.
Connect with the world outside. Many people who suffer from worry, fear, anxiety and panic spend their hours inside themselves. They often spend many hours in their heads. And they sometimes forget to connect with the world outside, with their reality. The more time a person spends inside, without a clear connecting line with the world outside, the greater the chance to fall into this stress trap. KEEP IN CONTACT WITH THE OUTSIDE REALITY at all times. Yes, introspection is great... as long as you are not disconnected from reality. Yes, meditation is great... as long as you are not disconnected from reality. Yes, being inside one's personal sphere is great... as long as you're not disconnected from reality. Then, make the CONSCIOUS effort to remain connected to reality and the outside world, no matter what. Keep on coming out for air and a clear anchor on reality.
Time boxes. Design a certain fixed time to worry every day. Give yourself the chance to really worry for, let's say, an hour a day. AND THAT IS IT! Once the hour is over, any time your worry, fear or anxiety comes calling again, tell it to return tomorrow, for the next time box.
Fight negative with positive. Some other happier chemicals can help you reduce the levels of accumulated cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine in your body: oxytocin, endorphins, serotonin, dopamine and the like. Learn how to release them more often and in greater quantities for two reasons:
They fight the bad guys. Good chemicals will make you feel better and will help you relax almost immediately. Which means that the good ones will target some of the negative chemicals.
When your body is releasing these, it can't be releasing those. Thus, if your body is busy flushing your system with wonderful oxytocin, it can't be producing the nasty products at the same time.
The positive result is therefore double: there are less bad chemicals in you because the good ones are fighting them and you're producing less because you're busy doing something else.
Let them go! Nothing will work if you continue creating more and more of the nasty chemicals. Learn some tools to get rid of the stress you already have inside: exercise, practice laughing, apply the tools mentioned above to counteract and release the nasty bugs, and take control of your own being.
All these tips will help you handle your stress a bit better. Don't let it grow in you until it becomes unmanageable. Seek help now instead of letting it overtake you and control your will. It can be done.
Enjoy life... ALL of it,
Learn more in my book: The Optimist in You https://www.amazon.com/Optimist-You-Optimism-Coaching-Handbook/dp/151161160X
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jessica_J_Lockhart/2431530
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10151274
Monday, 11 May 2020
***How Habitual Stress Affects Our Body And Effective Ways To Beat It
Stress is an emotional and physical response to external factors, and lessening stress is the secret to a longer, healthier, life. We know that stress isn't good for us, and we know that everyone experiences stress every day, but once we're aware of how long-lasting stress impacts our physical body, we realise that it's important to find ways to manage and reduce stress to remain healthy. It doesn't matter how old we are, or whether we're male or female, we're all exposed to numerous daily stressors and if our reactions to those stressors aren't dealt with and managed, the outcome on our physical health is often detrimental.
When we're stressed, the hormones adrenaline and cortisol are created to help us with the 'fight or flight' reaction to any potentially dangerous situations. This hormone creation is useful in the short term as it increases our heart rate enabling us to quickly escape from any potentially dangerous situations. When we're under stress or feeling anxious, our hormones change to help us to manage the stressful or anxiety-causing situation, enabling us to use the natural 'flight or fight' response, but when the stress is constant and long-term it's likely to have a negative influence on our health. These effects range from straightforward recurring problems such as tiredness and depression, to far more severe issues such as heart failure and cancer. Therefore it's vital to find effective ways of dealing with stress.
When stress becomes habitual or long-term, our body naturally responds and continues to send stress hormones into our system. When the stress hormones remain elevated for extended periods we start to see the long-term effects.
The body's stress hormone, cortisol, causes blood sugar to rise, resulting in an acidic blood state. Acidic blood results in many of today's common conditions: diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, along with excess tummy fat. A low glycemic and high protein diet is beneficial to help us keep on top of the effects of stress.
Below are some useful ways to reduce stress:
• Wherever possible, remove yourself from the stressful situation and focus on your breathing for a few moments with the sole intention of calming your mind and body.
• If you're feeling stressed due to overwhelm, break your tasks down into smaller, more manageable chunks.
• Look at your diet and eliminate sugar and caffeine:
• Eat oily fish – it contains a high quantity of B vitamins which is great to help you deal with stress. Salmon and tuna are excellent choices, and you should try to consume at least two portions per week.
• Drink plenty of water – it's very important to stay hydrated. Your cells need water to operate properly.
• Drink milk – a bowl of wholegrain cereal with reduced-fat milk every morning is a great way to keep one step ahead of stress as your day begins.
• Eat nuts – nuts are a great source of Vitamin B2 and E, together with magnesium and zinc. Nuts contain (generally) unsaturated fats.
• Eat oranges and kiwi fruits - these are high in vitamin C, which helps to control the release of free-radicals into your system.
• Exercise – this doesn't have to involve a gym membership. A good regular walk or swim will go a long way to reducing stress, especially if you can increase your heart rate as you exercise.
• Tai Chi – Tai Chi is a series of gentle, slow-moving, flowing body movements that help to reduce stress. Its origins are in fighting styles, but now it's used for soothing the thoughts, conditioning the body system and reducing stress.
• Yoga – well-known for its ability to calm the mind, and stretch and relax the body.
• Meditate or use self-hypnosis – this can either be done by yourself at home, or with the guidance of a professional. Only a few moments are needed to immediately feel the weight of the world being lifted from your shoulders.
• If you're feeling stressed due to overwhelm, break your tasks down into smaller, more manageable chunks.
• Look at your diet and eliminate sugar and caffeine:
• Eat oily fish – it contains a high quantity of B vitamins which is great to help you deal with stress. Salmon and tuna are excellent choices, and you should try to consume at least two portions per week.
• Drink plenty of water – it's very important to stay hydrated. Your cells need water to operate properly.
• Drink milk – a bowl of wholegrain cereal with reduced-fat milk every morning is a great way to keep one step ahead of stress as your day begins.
• Eat nuts – nuts are a great source of Vitamin B2 and E, together with magnesium and zinc. Nuts contain (generally) unsaturated fats.
• Eat oranges and kiwi fruits - these are high in vitamin C, which helps to control the release of free-radicals into your system.
• Exercise – this doesn't have to involve a gym membership. A good regular walk or swim will go a long way to reducing stress, especially if you can increase your heart rate as you exercise.
• Tai Chi – Tai Chi is a series of gentle, slow-moving, flowing body movements that help to reduce stress. Its origins are in fighting styles, but now it's used for soothing the thoughts, conditioning the body system and reducing stress.
• Yoga – well-known for its ability to calm the mind, and stretch and relax the body.
• Meditate or use self-hypnosis – this can either be done by yourself at home, or with the guidance of a professional. Only a few moments are needed to immediately feel the weight of the world being lifted from your shoulders.
Handling stress means being in control of your thoughts and feelings, schedule, surroundings, money etc, and the methods you use to deal with these things. It's impossible to avoid all daily stress triggers, but it's vital to deal with the stressors and make sure you take some time to relax each day. To overcome both short and long-term stress and the impact it has on our body, it's important to really have the intention to calm ourselves down and, wherever possible, remove ourselves from the stressful situation we're in.
Unfortunately, stress can too easily become habitual and subsequently impact our health. If we can reduce stress by changing our instant reaction to stressful situations, then our our physical and mental health will both improve significantly.
Author's Bio:
If you'd like to try self-hypnosis to reduce stress, then I have an mp3 download available for you. It just takes 30 minutes or so to relax and listen to (preferably through headphones, if possible), and afterwards you'll feel relaxed, rested and in control. The download can be found at: http://www.lyndascrivener.com/stress-relief/
Sunday, 10 May 2020
Feeling Anxious? Then 'Watch' the News!
The human nervous system hasn't changed very much over the last million years. Its purpose is to keep us safe and help us survive; that means looking out for threat and risks that might lead to our demise or cause us harm. Naturally, like other animals, this 'alert' nervous system is crucial to our survival and keeps us scanning for potential danger.
Humans have developed the cognitive ability to use words, language and analysis to make sense of and communicate risk to one another efficiently. Humans can convey these messages about threat or danger with convincing and rich emotional content to highlight their relevance and importance. This superior intellectual ability has allowed humans to prosper and survive by organising communities, achieving social tasks, collaborating and problem-solving.
While living in tribal groups and small communities, our ancestors relied upon this ability to communicate warnings and risks to members of the tribe or community. A danger at the waterhole, poisonous berries, a lurking predator or an invading tribe were all risks that posed an immediate and relevant threat to each member of that tribe. Our nervous system is primed to be alert to such urgent warnings, especially when high emotion is present to convey urgency. Those who failed to attend would face danger and threat to their survival.
Community leaders throughout history disseminated relevant and important information for survival - the Town Crier and Pastors at churches became trusted 'news' bearers delivering information about community illness and death such as the Plague. Humans have learnt to pay attention when an announcement is made and our nervous systems are primed to do so!
The New Era
A lot has changed in the world since the invention of television, telephones and computers. The world is not constrained by geographical borders and tribal word-of-mouth communication. The millennial world features expansive social media influences with 24-hour news broadcasts, news updates to every device, news from every corner of the world, breakfast news, morning news, midday news, afternoon news, early evening news, late night news, and even news updates between the news!
If you are feeling overwhelmed just by reading that, it's obvious what the actual content of all this news is doing to our nervous systems. Physical arousal and stress are triggered by our nervous system's response to announcements and news that goes straight back to our primal need to survive and not necessarily because there is an actual and present threat to our safety.
Understanding the science of this can help us manage our responses to the world's events and to make decisions about protecting our nervous system.
We are inundated with announcements and information that are neither relevant nor an immediate threat to us individually. In doing its job well, the nervous system innocently attends to irrelevant messages, believing all news must be relevant and require urgent attention. In fact, reacting to information regarding a five-car pile-up on an icy motorway on the other side of the world has no immediate survival benefit to us.
While broader lessons can be learnt from the general information, this information can be used and conveyed in more considered and less dramatic ways to improve our society and keep us safe. The way in which this information is conveyed in the news is much more likely to trigger unnecessary and involuntary stress responses.
Tips to Look After Yourself in this World of Frantic News
- Limit your exposure to all news media - TV, radio, newspapers, social media.
- Limit the number of news organisations you follow on social media and notifications you receive.
- Observe and calm your response when you hear the 'news music' or 'breaking news' sound effects.
- Keep an eye on how many stories are being fed to you throughout your day on electronic devices while you are trying to focus on work, socialising or other meaningful tasks.
- Try to listen to less hyped and dramatic versions of the news.
- Follow the local news that is likely to be more relevant to your daily life.
- Be more aware of the emotional content of programs you watch and their impact on your mood, nervous system and thinking. Does it feel like more relevant information conveyed calmly and factually or does it feel more hyped, dramatic and irrelevant to your immediate world?
More resources about anxiety and stress management:
First Aid for Stress: https://www.brisbanecitypsychologist.com.au/first-aid-for-stress/
What to Do When You Are Feeling Overwhelmed: https://www.brisbanecitypsychologist.com.au/what-to-do-when-you-are-feeling-overwhelmed/
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Cherie_Dalton/256515
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9967886
Saturday, 9 May 2020
MEDITATION - A Pathway to Self-Discovery
Most people have the wrong concept of meditation. They think that you have to sit like a Yogi on a mountain top or in a quiet place and adopt a specific position or posture to meditate. Well, I am going to show you here how easy it is to meditate anywhere and anytime. You can be at work, at home or driving in your car. You will get instant benefit from this exercise and wonder why you did not learn it before.
There are many systems of meditation invented, but not many people understand the purpose of meditation. They use various techniques to calm their mind, but when they go back to their routine, their minds go back to their tortured state and confusion. There is no real peace, understanding or enlightenment in the individual.
Meditation is not about concentrating on one object and blocking out the rest in mind. It is not just about calming your mind and acquiring some peace. It is not about religion or religious beliefs. In my mind, the real purpose is to discover the timeless dimension where there is eternal peace. It is also learning about yourself, how you operate in your mind and harmonise your inner and outer worlds. It is a pathway to self-discovery.
Now you may not realise it, but the timeless dimension is just as real as the time dimension we are living in, where we have the past, the present and the future. It is eternal, peaceful, and always in the present. The only thing that separates you from the timeless is your perception.
Most people experience the timeless when they are away from any man-made structures out in the countryside, on a mountain top or in the bush. There, the eternal dimension is so overpowering that one can feel the time stop. It is a spontaneous occurrence. The mind becomes alert and still without a single thought to disturb it, where the observer in mind, and what is being observed becomes one phenomenon. One becomes part of the universe. What one experiences is real and beyond words. It is not imagination. It is only when the stupid ego utters some inane words such as " Oh what a beautiful sight this is... etc." that the magic spell is broken.
Here you did not realise that you had stepped into the timeless dimension, but uttering those words brought you back to your present time zone. Please understand the ego. It is a great survivor and is afraid of disappearing from the mind. It uses the thinking process to travel in time by using words and sentences. If you did not verbalise, you would find that your thoughts have no substance.
Thus thinking is an acquired habit we use to fill our mind with thoughts. One thought ends and another one begins. When we are not thinking, we are always doing something else. We may be listening to music, watching television, playing sport or taking part in other escapist activities. One fears that if one stopped thinking, one might disappear from the mind. The thoughts go round and round like a squirrel in a cage. The mind is never empty. This constant stimulation of the subconscious mind makes it grow restless and turbulent. One yearns for peace.
While soothing music can help us calm our mind, it is meditation one should turn to for acquiring real peace and tranquillity. Meditation should be fun and a constant learning process. It is a path to enlightenment. You do not have to adopt a specific position or posture.
Please understand that meditation is not about focusing on one thing and excluding everything else. In my mind, it is an all-inclusive process and initially requires a bit of practice. Here is a simple way to meditate and discover the timeless, anywhere and anytime. When we contemplate this way, life becomes an eternal meditation.
It does not matter where you are. You may be at work sitting at a desk or sitting at home in your lounge watching TV. Look at the picture in front of you. Look at all the objects in front of you without saying a single word in your mind. You can recognise and know all the objects in your view without naming them or focusing on any particular one. Now broaden your vision to take in the whole picture of the room, except the back of you. Do not say a single word. You now have a panoramic view of the entire room except the back of you. There is an observer (the ego) in your mind observing the whole picture, fully alert and in the present. If you watch closely, you will notice an ethereal stillness in the room. At the same time, please note that you have not disappeared from the mind. Your mind is not blank. You are trying to understand the present.
While doing this, please become aware of your habit of thinking trying to interrupt your observations. Do not try to control your thoughts. Let them flow freely. Note how words activate your thinking process. If you did not say or use names (verbalise), the thoughts have no life in them-the same thing with emotions. Become aware of the feeling that might be disturbing you. Stay with it. Note that if you put words to your feelings, you intensify them. If you do not verbalise, the feelings evaporate.
Also, please become aware of the words you use in your mind. Train yourself to replace negative words with positive words, even if you do not mean it. Our subconscious mind responds reflexly to words, not their meaning. For example, if you are driving in a hurry and under tension, say this "Relax, slow down. What is the rush? There is plenty of time". You will be surprised to find yourself relaxing and slowing down.
When you practice meditation this way, you will soon come to recognise the phenomenon of the observer and the observed, becoming one in your mind. It is a spontaneous occurrence. When this happens, you are experiencing the timeless dimension. You will soon realise that you are an eternal part of this universe. You will understand what peace of mind is and what eternity is.
The timeless dimension is like 3D-picture. At first, it looks flat. But if one keeps looking at it, the depth (the third dimension) appears. Most of us are looking at reality with a tunnel vision, focusing our attention on a small area. With the simple method described above, you will soon be able to look at the picture with a panoramic view.
Do you still think it is difficult to practice meditation this way? Try it; it is easy. First, look at a distant object. Then broaden your view to take in the whole picture except the back of you. Now you have a panoramic view. Doesn't this technique alone give you instant relief of tension in your facial muscles? Develop this good habit. Soon your perception will change. When you look at the picture in front of you with a panoramic view, you will feel instantly relaxed. You will not be developing any new wrinkles on your face. Practicing meditation every day the way I have described above, will keep you mentally young and refreshed. You will not have to worry about Alzheimer's Disease. It will also slow down the aging process.
If you wish to learn more about how your mind works, read the "The Enchanted Time Traveller - A Book of Self-Knowledge and the Subconscious Mind". It will help you to understand your subconscious mind, and how you can manipulate it. Visit Website: http://theenchantedtimetraveller.com.au.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mal_Mohanlal/2179114
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10263974
Friday, 8 May 2020
Six More Quick Tips to Reduce Stress
Stress affects us all in different ways at different times, to different degrees and for different reasons. It could be something relatively trivial or due to a more significant cause. Either way, it is important to try to reduce stress otherwise it can get out of control and affect your health. Here are six quick tips which can help to reduce and manage stress. I hope you find them useful.
Tip 1: Have a You Day
This may sound obvious - we all need some alone time for ourselves to try to get away from things for a while.
Life is tough enough with all the demands it places on us which in turn can cause stress as life gets on top of us.
Make a conscious effort to split yourself of some time for YOU.
No distractions, turn off the laptop, turn off the mobile - your you time is for YOU - nobody else.
Then do whatever you feel like doing that makes you feel happy and less stressed.
That might be reading a book, listening to your favourite music, generally chilling out.
Find the time to switch off for a while and you'll feel better for it.
Tip 2: Your Happy Place
Another quick stress reduction tip is when the going gets tough to imagine yourself in your happy place.
We've all got one (or perhaps more than one) - imagine you are there and how it makes you feel.
This is sometimes known as guided imagery and has been around for hundreds of years.
If you want to get in to it seriously there are guided imagery therapists and practitioners you could see.
Or you can buy up guided imagery books and CDs.
And of course there's good old YouTube for videos.
Guided imagery goes hand-in-hand with meditation which is another technique to help with stress reduction and management.
Tip 3: Clean and De-Clutter
A clean and tidy home (silly as it may sound) can help with stress reduction and management.
Sift through everything you have and identify what you do need/has value to you and what does not - be brutal - what can you live without.
Anything you can live without or no longer need you may be able to sell online or donate to charity.
Next clean the house - not necessarily all in one go (you can if you want to of course) - perhaps a room at a time.
Just the exercise involved in cleaning will stimulate hormones which help to make you feel good.
To help pass the time whilst you clean put on your favourite CD.
A clean and tidy home makes you feel better too doesn't it?
Tip 4: Digital De-Clutter
Now you have de-cluttered and cleaned the house, it's time to do the same for your digital life.
Emails, social media, the pressure for instant replies, more likes, more Twitter followers and keeping on top of all that can be stressful in itself - right?
So have a digital clean up and de-clutter.
Remove yourself from email lists you do not need to be on.
Turn off notifications, alters and similar which you do not need.
Set aside specific times of the day to check your emails instead of constantly (may not apply to work emails of course).
And turn everything off (or at least on silent) before bedtime because you don't need to be awoken throughout the night with emails pinging in and social media alters popping up.
Tip #5: Relaxing Sounds
This stress reduction tip ties in with the happy place tip we looked at earlier.
The right sort of sound can help you to relax and de-stress.
Just like closing your eyes and going to your happy place, listening to a relaxing sound for a while can have the same effect.
It might be bird song, waterfalls, gentle waves breaking, whale song and similar - whatever works for you.
Any number of relaxation sound CDs, streaming and downloads available everywhere.
Plug yourself in, listen, relax and feel the stress leave you.
Tip #6: Meditate
A spot of meditation can help tremendously with stress reduction and your state of mind in general.
This can be a simple as sitting down, clearing your mind and doing some repeated deep breathing.
In for four seconds to fill your lungs, hold, breathe out slowly and repeat for a few minutes.
Not unlike being in your happy place we touched on earlier.
If you fancy getting in to meditation and you have a smartphone there are any number of meditation apps to download.
And of course any number of books, videos etc.
In addition to helping reduce stress, meditation can help with anxiety depression and high blood pressure.
Start now. Take some action. One step at a time. Do not procrastinate
There is no right or wrong order in which to try these stress reduction tips. See which work for you.
You may be interested to explore stress reduction techniques further in more depth. To do that, here is a video course containing nine stress reduction action plan s. It is available on Skillshare and you can access it today by clicking here.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Andy_Machin/16946
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10284733
Wednesday, 29 April 2020
Fear of Death While Living in a Pandemic
The truth is not, "There is nothing to fear but fear itself". The truth is, "Fear is nothing to fear"!
This takes us to the ultimate truth - there is nothing to fear!
However, this does not imply that we should not fear.
Fear is a messenger in the same way that pain is a messenger inviting us to investigate and find out what is wrong.
Fear appears when we overlook what is true, real, substantial, essential, permanent about ourselves and the world.
Fear is our healthy resistance to what we do not want - discomfort, harm, pain, suffering, sickness and death.
Yet these are inevitable in our human experience. These are experiences that we have all had countless times (except for death), that we have survived and learned from and will continue to survive and learn from until we die. We need not fear them, yet we do need to resist and avoid them, and fear is the shape our resistance takes.
Now we arrive at the one experience we have never experienced, yet which we all dread - death. Our existential fear of death is our resistance to our death. Why resist it when it is inevitable? This is not to suggest that we not do everything to avoid and resist unhealthy, dangerous situations by taking care and acting in ways that make us safe. But, why resist death?
Our resistance to death leads to imagining crazy things like, "There is a right time and a right way to die, and a wrong time and a wrong way to die". In reality, death appears at all times in all ways. For many it has been and will be the COVID-19 virus. For many, 20,000 or so this year alone, it has been the flu. For 3.1 million children each year according to UNCIEF (1.03 million this year alone) it is undernourishment.
We can learn, gradually or all at once, to live our life with no resistance to death - our own and our loved ones'. Imagine what it would be like to live our life that way - without resisting the fact that one day we will die while never knowing when or how; and not resisting the pain of loss, which is made of the love for our loved ones. As death is inevitable, we can come to relish the fact that we were born and are still here and relish every moment we have left. This is what we arrive at when we welcome our fear of death, discover that fear is nothing to fear, and that in reality there is nothing to fear.
While this implies that we need not be afraid, it does not suggest that we should no longer experience fear. Again, fear, like pain, is a messenger that invites us to explore what is wrong and exposes our resistance to something. There are many things we should resist in the interest of health and safety - like resisting being in close proximity to others during this pandemic.
We know that the body will die, and we believe that when the body dies we die because we believe that all we are is the body. We assume it is a fact that the body is the source of awareness - the awareness with which we are aware of all experience and our selves. In reality, it is a presumption, not a fact. No one has ever seen awareness coming out of the brain, or sensations coming out of the body. It is a fact of our experience that we are aware and that we sense and perceive; but it is a theory that the body is the source of these.
This theory, presumed to be a fact, comes from the undeniable correlation between the brain and experience. Affect the brain and we affect experience. Kill the body and there is no more experience for this person. (There is no experience for any person in deep sleep, yet we do not say the Self has disappeared/died). However, this is no different that affecting our computers and monitors and affecting the information that is experienced, and then concluding that the monitor and computer are the source or cause of the information. Could it be that the body is like the laptop, a local, "personal" means through which we access the bandwidth of universal, impersonal information that is available to all computers; and just as that bandwidth of information remains when the laptop dies, so Being, Awareness, "I" remains?
The fact that all of us as "persons" long for eternal life and most of us believe in life after death or reincarnation may be a clue in our minds and feelings that we are not simply the body, that the body is not the source of awareness, and that when the body dies we, awareness do not disappear any more than the bandwidth of information disappears when a laptop, computer, tablet, or smart phone dies.
Awareness is the source of all experience. This is easy to test. Remove awareness from any experience and where is there any experience? Our experience of what thought labels the body, mind and world is our experience of feeling, sensing, thinking, imagining, and perceiving. Remove awareness and where is the experience of feeling, sensing, thinking, imagining, and perceiving? Experience tell us that awareness is the source of all experience, which thought then labels body, mind, and world.
Nothing in experience indicates that the body is the source of awareness. This is a universally shared idea presumed to be a fact. It is not our actual, immediate, intimate experience. That the earth is flat and that the sun revolves around the earth were also universally shared ideas taken to be facts (still done so by some). Our conviction that something is true does not make it so, although it makes it appear real just as our dreams do until we awake.
No one has ever, or could ever experience the appearance or disappearance of awareness - our Self. Thought imagines that awareness appears and disappears. However, when we do not refer to thought, but stick to our actual, lived, intimate, immediate experience, we recognize that we have never and could never experience the appearance and disappearance of awareness itself. What would have to be present to claim to experience the appearance and disappearance of awareness? Why, awareness, of course!
Thought imagines that everything must have a cause, and this is true except for the "original cause". If matter "caused" awareness, what caused matter? If the big bang caused matter, what caused the big bang? Staying true to our actual, immediate, intimate experience we know that awareness simply is and has no cause; it just is. We have never experienced its appearance, and we have never experienced it's disappearance. It is only thought that imagines awareness appears and disappears, not our actual experience. We can think of this as causeless cause. If we want to think religiously we can ask, "What caused God?"
In short, we have no evidence in our actual experience that when the body dies we, the Self, awareness dies. Even if we do cease to exist when we die, what is there to fear? From that model, we did not exist prior to conception, and that was not a problem, or frightening. Why would ceasing to exist then be frightening? We come back to the realization that death is nothing to fear, either because there is no death, or because ceasing to exist is not any more problematic than not existing before conception.
To summarize, the reality is that we have nothing to fear, and fear is nothing to fear. Yet fear is a healthy response in the same way that pain is. It gets our attention so we can investigate and heal what is wrong when possible. When it comes to our emotional distress, what is wrong is that we are overlooking our true nature - that which is aware of our experience. When we explore the nature of this awareness that we are from our immediate, intimate experience, we notice it is ever-present, having been present from our very first experience, being present reading these words, and will be present at our last experience. We notice that it is not an object with form and location. In other words it is eternal and infinite. We notice that no experience can diminish or enhance it, that is, it is changeless. Nothing can harm it. It needs nothing while knowing everything. It is free from all experience while intimate with all experience. Thus, to characterize awareness, it is safe, at peace, secure and self-fulfilled. This is, in reality our true nature.
When we overlook our true Self, awareness, we believe and feel that we are limited, vulnerable, lacking, separate, needy people and seek to find peace, happiness, security, comfort and fulfillment from things outside of ourselves like relationships, objects, situations, activities, substances, accomplishments, status, etc. No wonder fear appears! Remember, fear is a messenger. When we believe and feel that security, peace and happiness are missing, wee need to look for these, but we need to look in the right direction. No one is interested in temporary security, happiness and fulfillment we already experience this. What we long for is abiding, permanent peace, security, comfort, happiness, fulfilment.=. To seek what is permanent from that which is temporary is, well, you fill in the blank.
Welcome fear and look for freedom from fear, first by accepting and embracing it, and then by investigating its source.
There is nothing to fear in reality, which does not mean, "Do not fear". It means, "Investigate to find out what is true".
#KnowThySelf
Ricardo Hidalgo My area of expertise is psychology. I have been a professional counselor since 1980. Emotional literacy, emotional freedom and generating emotional well-being are my expertise. Suffering is inevitable until we realize that it is optional. I help people realize the truth of this.
My mission is to help myself and others end suffering.
Fear of Death While Living in a Pandemic
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