Anxiety disorders are frequently a product of stress. From general everyday anxiety right up to panic disorders, it is possible to start lowering the anxiety in your life simply by cutting back on stress. Stress is a part of modern daily life no matter who you are, but if stress is allowed to take charge of your life, serious personal problems will develop. Fortunately, ongoing stress can be overcome, but it is important you recognise ways of doing so.
Stress is an internal reaction triggered by outside factors, like pressure (time restraints etc.). One of the best ways to defeat these stress reactions is with lots of exercise. Regular exercise can assist you to physically deal with stress by improving your tolerance to stress during physical exercise. During a panic attack, almost all people experience shortness of breath and have a pounding heart. A vigorous workout generates similar experiences, except in a healthy way. As you exercise more and more regularly, your body will adjust naturally to these conditions without panicking. Your chances of long term physical damage from a panic or anxiety attack will be lessened accordingly.
Obtaining an excellent night’s sleep is likewise very important in reducing stress. Stress can physically fatigue a person’s body, and without sufficient sleep, you will experience the consequences of stress a good deal more. This can lead to anxiety disorders very easily. To get adequate sleep, be sure that you schedule at least 6 to 8 hours for sleeping (book it in your diary if you need to - tell your friends you have an appointment - with your bed - to sleep!). Don’t eat or drink loads of sugar, sweet foods or caffeine products before bedtime and make sure you do relaxing activities in the couple of hours prior to bedtime. If you feel it necessary, see your doctor for assistance with sleeping problems, but, remember, drugs may not cure the problem, only dumb it down. It's always best to fix things naturally if possible.
Another key to minimising stress is to schedule time for leisure related activities. Diarise holidays or at least days off in order to deliberately relax and have fun. Work is a great creator of stress, and with that stress, sometimes comes concern about money, health, and many extra things. By earmarking specific time to have a good time with loved ones or by yourself, you can physically and mentally put aside the stress for at least a few hours to give the mind and body time to recuperate. Try to have at least one or two hours to yourself daily and an entire long weekend every month to purely enjoy recreational activities.
Lastly, work to reduce stress by learning to change the way you think about life. Some of the most stressed-out people are perfectionists. While, in some circumstances, this can be a good trait, it can also go way too far. Know when to let something slide. Also, think positively about your life and give thanks often for what you have. When you worry that you aren’t good enough or are upset about all the little things, they really add together to stress you out. Supervising your thought processes is just a part of the battle, but if you work on cutting back stress, you can help yourself to avoid developing anxiety problems. Relaxed people tend to make better decisions and in this way automatically empower themselves for a better life.
Be kind to yourself.
Some quotes for you:
"Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of it's sorrows, but only empties today of it's strength." - Charles Spurgeon
"I remember being onstage once when I didn't have fear: I got so scared I didn't have fear that it brought on an anxiety attack." - Carly Simon
"If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn't ask me, I'd still have to say it." - George Burns
Suggested reading: "Stress Reduction for Busy People" by Dawn Groves
Now listen up - stop fighting it - go up to the top of this page. Click on the little "free book" box and get your free copy of As A Man Thinketh - you'll be forever glad you did. Oh yes. READ IT.
Today, I will count my many blessings. Today, I will do my work honestly.
Today, I will be kind to every living creature.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The myth - of physical perfection
Here is a great myth to debunk straight up. I'm going to say it loud and clear for you so that you don't need to waist any more of your precious life chasing after this complete myth.
PHYSICAL PERFECTION DOES NOT EXIST
PHYSICAL PERFECTION IS A MYTH
It's great to go to the gym to get fit, strong, improve your self image, drop a clothes size, look a little better at the beach. Please don't misunderstand me. I would encourage anyone to embark on a fitness and/or strength training regimen. It is actually the correct thing to do.
What I am saying is that a lot of people waist enormous amounts of time, energy and money chasing after the myth of physical perfection when in fact it is really just a myth after all. It is a little bit like the end of the rainbow thing. You chase around hunting for the elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow only to find "no joy" when you arrive at the spot where you think it should be.
I'm going to let you in on a little secret here. I have been a bodybuilder and strength trainer all my life. For an "old" guy of 57, I really don't look too bad - if I do (proudly) say so myself. But the truth is it's a little like smoke and mirrors. I have always had a gym setup at home - pretty basic - but all you need and I have always been very regular with my workouts - pretty conscientious really. So it has paid off over time. I sometimes even get the odd complement which I lap up like a thirsty cat.
But here's the little secret. I have arthritis in both my knees. Nothing too serious. Always have had "dicky" knees. I also suffer from ulcerative colitis. Have had it since I was 25 years old. I manage this disease very well with only the occasional medicinal help. I am a lousy sleeper. It's very rare that I would ever sleep a whole night through, in fact, can't remember when it happened last - so I'm often tired during the day. I have tinnitus (constant ringing in my ears). There doesn't seem to be as much hair on my head as there used to be - or so the mirror is intent on telling me. I can guarantee that my dear wife has a magnificently long list of other associated faults that I have but, of course, I would deny them outright!
The point of this exercise is to say to you - don't waist too much time anguishing over the fact that you may not have "the perfect body", or you may not look like a movie star, or an Olympian. The fact is that if you could climb inside all those "perfect bodies" I know definitely that you would find them to be not so perfect after all. They would most likely have a cache of physical (and other) problems just like me - you just can't spot'em straight away. As with a lot of things in life - they look good from a distance, and that's exactly where they should stay.
You are beautiful, just as you are. You are loved, just as you are. You are needed, just as you are. You are that little part that the great mechanism that is the universe needs, so it is able to run as it should.
Be happy.
A couple of quotes:
"Perfection itself is imperfection" - Vladimir Horowitz
"Actually, I can't imagine anything more tedious than a perfect person, especially if it was someone who also demanded perfection from me." - Hugh Mackay
A book mostly for the ladies:
"Be Happy Without Being Perfect: How to Break Free from the Perefction Deception" by Alice Domar and Alice Lesch Kelly.
PHYSICAL PERFECTION DOES NOT EXIST
PHYSICAL PERFECTION IS A MYTH
It's great to go to the gym to get fit, strong, improve your self image, drop a clothes size, look a little better at the beach. Please don't misunderstand me. I would encourage anyone to embark on a fitness and/or strength training regimen. It is actually the correct thing to do.
What I am saying is that a lot of people waist enormous amounts of time, energy and money chasing after the myth of physical perfection when in fact it is really just a myth after all. It is a little bit like the end of the rainbow thing. You chase around hunting for the elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow only to find "no joy" when you arrive at the spot where you think it should be.
I'm going to let you in on a little secret here. I have been a bodybuilder and strength trainer all my life. For an "old" guy of 57, I really don't look too bad - if I do (proudly) say so myself. But the truth is it's a little like smoke and mirrors. I have always had a gym setup at home - pretty basic - but all you need and I have always been very regular with my workouts - pretty conscientious really. So it has paid off over time. I sometimes even get the odd complement which I lap up like a thirsty cat.
But here's the little secret. I have arthritis in both my knees. Nothing too serious. Always have had "dicky" knees. I also suffer from ulcerative colitis. Have had it since I was 25 years old. I manage this disease very well with only the occasional medicinal help. I am a lousy sleeper. It's very rare that I would ever sleep a whole night through, in fact, can't remember when it happened last - so I'm often tired during the day. I have tinnitus (constant ringing in my ears). There doesn't seem to be as much hair on my head as there used to be - or so the mirror is intent on telling me. I can guarantee that my dear wife has a magnificently long list of other associated faults that I have but, of course, I would deny them outright!
The point of this exercise is to say to you - don't waist too much time anguishing over the fact that you may not have "the perfect body", or you may not look like a movie star, or an Olympian. The fact is that if you could climb inside all those "perfect bodies" I know definitely that you would find them to be not so perfect after all. They would most likely have a cache of physical (and other) problems just like me - you just can't spot'em straight away. As with a lot of things in life - they look good from a distance, and that's exactly where they should stay.
You are beautiful, just as you are. You are loved, just as you are. You are needed, just as you are. You are that little part that the great mechanism that is the universe needs, so it is able to run as it should.
Be happy.
A couple of quotes:
"Perfection itself is imperfection" - Vladimir Horowitz
"Actually, I can't imagine anything more tedious than a perfect person, especially if it was someone who also demanded perfection from me." - Hugh Mackay
A book mostly for the ladies:
"Be Happy Without Being Perfect: How to Break Free from the Perefction Deception" by Alice Domar and Alice Lesch Kelly.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Is it time to say that enough is enough?
Why do we constantly end up being led by complete morons? Please note that, with this blog post, it is not my wish to intentionally upset anyone, but with the current news of Russia V. Georgia you have to just sit back and scratch your head.
Don't these people learn from the past? Haven't we all had enough of the killing? And it's not just the killing. It's the wounded. The economies crushed. The families torn apart. The futures destroyed. The happiness lost. Infrastructure wrecked. Education stopped. Why?
Is it because someone, somewhere was simply having a bad hair day? Feeling a little greedy perhaps? Small penis syndrome? Thought they were born to rule? Itchy finger just got too itchy?
A question for you. If we were all blessed with a special form of future vision, how many of our leaders would ever get elected in the first place? I'll give you a clue. How does NIL sound! Pretty close I'd reckon. Here's another - if they could see and experience first hand, and personally, the damage they do, the lives they destroy, the families they wreck down through generations, the unhappiness they wreak - would they begin? Try this one - if the first person that was to die in the conflict they start was to be themselves - would they begin?
I don't think so! These great and very brave "leaders" always seem to be very comfortably far away from all the misery they cause - most convenient!!
Just for a moment consider the possibility that if all the money these idiots waste on their silly little grabs for power were instead put into medical research I believe most diseases would NOW be cured. Poverty? Probably a thing of the past. Maybe humans would be living on other planets right now.
You know what the saddest thing is? They were probably voted in, by us, the ordinary citizen. Yep! They snag us hook, line and sinker, every time, with there snake-oil promises, their angel "kissing babies" smile, their "I'm one of you" and "I've got all the answers" lies.
I don't know about you, but I think it's time we ALL said enough is enough! Stop the lies. Stop the killing. Stop the hatred. Stop the madness.
What can you do? Refuse to take part. Think for yourself. Analyze carefully what people tell you - check the facts (most institutions crumble under close scrutiny). Empower yourself to make your own decisions. Imagine if every soldier in the world refused to pull the trigger - because they gave consideration to what they were about to do. The chance of that happening right now is pretty slim, I'll be the first to admit, but you surely get my point. You must begin to be think of yourself as a citizen of the world - NOT as a citizen of a country.
The point is also this. We are all one. In the act of hurting someone else, we also hurt ourselves. When one of our fellow humans dies, we also die a little bit too. When you lie to someone, you also lie to yourself. At what point do we stop the masochism?
The decision is surely ours.
"You've got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is." - Will Rogers
"Let no man imagine that he has no influence. Whoever he may be, and wherever he may be placed, the man who thinks becomes a light and a power." - Henry George
"We must be the change we wish to see." - Mahatma Ghandi
Well worth reading: "Think For Yourself!: An Essay On Cutting Through The Babble, The Bias, And The Hype" - by Steve Hindes
Take this opportunity to grab your copy of The Work At Home Formula and Course. Just click here.
Don't these people learn from the past? Haven't we all had enough of the killing? And it's not just the killing. It's the wounded. The economies crushed. The families torn apart. The futures destroyed. The happiness lost. Infrastructure wrecked. Education stopped. Why?
Is it because someone, somewhere was simply having a bad hair day? Feeling a little greedy perhaps? Small penis syndrome? Thought they were born to rule? Itchy finger just got too itchy?
A question for you. If we were all blessed with a special form of future vision, how many of our leaders would ever get elected in the first place? I'll give you a clue. How does NIL sound! Pretty close I'd reckon. Here's another - if they could see and experience first hand, and personally, the damage they do, the lives they destroy, the families they wreck down through generations, the unhappiness they wreak - would they begin? Try this one - if the first person that was to die in the conflict they start was to be themselves - would they begin?
I don't think so! These great and very brave "leaders" always seem to be very comfortably far away from all the misery they cause - most convenient!!
Just for a moment consider the possibility that if all the money these idiots waste on their silly little grabs for power were instead put into medical research I believe most diseases would NOW be cured. Poverty? Probably a thing of the past. Maybe humans would be living on other planets right now.
You know what the saddest thing is? They were probably voted in, by us, the ordinary citizen. Yep! They snag us hook, line and sinker, every time, with there snake-oil promises, their angel "kissing babies" smile, their "I'm one of you" and "I've got all the answers" lies.
I don't know about you, but I think it's time we ALL said enough is enough! Stop the lies. Stop the killing. Stop the hatred. Stop the madness.
What can you do? Refuse to take part. Think for yourself. Analyze carefully what people tell you - check the facts (most institutions crumble under close scrutiny). Empower yourself to make your own decisions. Imagine if every soldier in the world refused to pull the trigger - because they gave consideration to what they were about to do. The chance of that happening right now is pretty slim, I'll be the first to admit, but you surely get my point. You must begin to be think of yourself as a citizen of the world - NOT as a citizen of a country.
The point is also this. We are all one. In the act of hurting someone else, we also hurt ourselves. When one of our fellow humans dies, we also die a little bit too. When you lie to someone, you also lie to yourself. At what point do we stop the masochism?
The decision is surely ours.
"You've got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is." - Will Rogers
"Let no man imagine that he has no influence. Whoever he may be, and wherever he may be placed, the man who thinks becomes a light and a power." - Henry George
"We must be the change we wish to see." - Mahatma Ghandi
Well worth reading: "Think For Yourself!: An Essay On Cutting Through The Babble, The Bias, And The Hype" - by Steve Hindes
Take this opportunity to grab your copy of The Work At Home Formula and Course. Just click here.
Friday, August 1, 2008
It's not the problem that's the problem
It may only be your attitude to the problem that's the problem.
I was watching the news this morning on the TV. I know! They alway's very cleverly make it look as if the world is falling apart. One story was different today for all the right reasons. It jumped right out of the screen and grabbed me by the collar and said "look at me".
It was about a fellow who had been born without both his arms - wait for it - and - both of his legs. Yes, you read right, he is a torso and a head. What jumped out and grabbed me by the collar was the fact that this man was not miserable. He was not even in some sort of mobility device. You would expect at the minimum he would be telling the reporter a story of woe and "sorry me".
He was grinning from ear to ear and a happier face you would find it hard to find anywhere. He plays golf and their he was diving off a diving board into a pool to swim. If there was a person in the human race who had something to groan about - this was that person. This man was not groaning - just showing gratitude and affection to all the people around him. I was truly gobsmacked!
But that is not the only story like this I have noticed recently. A couple of weeks ago there was a story in the news of a young fellow, new to Australia, who had lost both his legs. I think it was because he used to live in the Middle East and it was the result of a bomb blast.
This man was playing football. Having two artificial legs was not stopping this guy. He was playing hard and all the other players were giving him the respect of playing hard too. He was tackling and being tackled! Again this man was smiling from ear to ear and was showing freindship to all those around.
I know you may have some problems - we all do. You can see from this story that it might not be your particular problem that is your problem. It may only be your attitude to your problem that is the problem. By changing your attitude to the problems in your life it is possible to change the whole flow and future of your life for the better no matter what your circumstances may be.
To fully realize the empowering force of right attitude I only had to see the happiness in the smiling faces of those two human beings.
Change your attitude - change your life.
Quote time:
"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same" - Carlos Castaneda
"The basic thing is that everyone wants happiness, no one wants suffering. And happiness mainly comes from our own attitude, rather than from external factors. If your own mental attitude is correct, even if you remain in a hostile atmosphere, you feel happy." - H.H. The Dalia Lama
"The greatest discovery of our generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. As you think, so shall you be." - William James
Compulsory reading: "The Difference Maker: Making Your Attitude Your Greatest Asset" - by John C. Maxwell
Time for a commercial break:
"Cash Pulling Blog Tactics Revealed" - Free PDF report and E-Course show you EXACTLY how to turn an ordinary blog into a nonstop, cash pulling machine. Click here to grab yours now!
I was watching the news this morning on the TV. I know! They alway's very cleverly make it look as if the world is falling apart. One story was different today for all the right reasons. It jumped right out of the screen and grabbed me by the collar and said "look at me".
It was about a fellow who had been born without both his arms - wait for it - and - both of his legs. Yes, you read right, he is a torso and a head. What jumped out and grabbed me by the collar was the fact that this man was not miserable. He was not even in some sort of mobility device. You would expect at the minimum he would be telling the reporter a story of woe and "sorry me".
He was grinning from ear to ear and a happier face you would find it hard to find anywhere. He plays golf and their he was diving off a diving board into a pool to swim. If there was a person in the human race who had something to groan about - this was that person. This man was not groaning - just showing gratitude and affection to all the people around him. I was truly gobsmacked!
But that is not the only story like this I have noticed recently. A couple of weeks ago there was a story in the news of a young fellow, new to Australia, who had lost both his legs. I think it was because he used to live in the Middle East and it was the result of a bomb blast.
This man was playing football. Having two artificial legs was not stopping this guy. He was playing hard and all the other players were giving him the respect of playing hard too. He was tackling and being tackled! Again this man was smiling from ear to ear and was showing freindship to all those around.
I know you may have some problems - we all do. You can see from this story that it might not be your particular problem that is your problem. It may only be your attitude to your problem that is the problem. By changing your attitude to the problems in your life it is possible to change the whole flow and future of your life for the better no matter what your circumstances may be.
To fully realize the empowering force of right attitude I only had to see the happiness in the smiling faces of those two human beings.
Change your attitude - change your life.
Quote time:
"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same" - Carlos Castaneda
"The basic thing is that everyone wants happiness, no one wants suffering. And happiness mainly comes from our own attitude, rather than from external factors. If your own mental attitude is correct, even if you remain in a hostile atmosphere, you feel happy." - H.H. The Dalia Lama
"The greatest discovery of our generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. As you think, so shall you be." - William James
Compulsory reading: "The Difference Maker: Making Your Attitude Your Greatest Asset" - by John C. Maxwell
Time for a commercial break:
"Cash Pulling Blog Tactics Revealed" - Free PDF report and E-Course show you EXACTLY how to turn an ordinary blog into a nonstop, cash pulling machine. Click here to grab yours now!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)