Self Help

Are You Stressed Out?

There’s a good chance that life itself is causing you to be stressed out, and you feel helpless when it comes to finding something to do to fix the problem on your own. The problem that we often face in life is the fact that there seems to not be enough time in the day to handle all of the things that come up, and that demands are immediate attention. Between handling finances, dealing with bosses or employees, or our relationships – such as those that deal with our spouses, significant others, and children – we just can’t seem to be able to come up for air.

If that description strikes a chord with you, and seems like something that you need help with don’t feel alone. Most people struggle with this, and some don’t reach for help soon enough.

The Symptoms of Stress!
Some physical symptoms of being stressed are fatigue, headaches or migraines, indigestion or other stomach pains, tight achy muscles, rashes or other skin problems such as acne, and not getting enough sleep. As well, you’re probably an emotional wreck being easily irritated by the slightest thing, as well as often sad and depressed for no reason, and lacking motivation.
You may not have even realized that Read the rest of this entry »

A low self-esteem can ruin your life. If you have a low self-esteem, you need to take steps to improve it. Small changes in how you see yourself can make huge changes in how you live your life.

Improvement in your self-esteem begins with you believing that you can do something about it. You need to recognize which aspects in your life are causing you to have a low self-esteem and to take steps to have victory over these feelings.

We are winners not losers.

Many people I speak to compare their Read the rest of this entry »

The human brain is a powerful thing; it’s the most complicated matter known to man. But our brains have one fundamental ‘flaw’ that we can all take advantage of to make vast improvements to just about any area of our lives.

That single ‘flaw’ is this: the human brain does not know the difference between reality and fiction. It doesn’t know whether or not something is actually real. In other words, it can’t tell the difference between something you’re thinking about and something that’s actually happening.

As incredible as that sounds, it’s absolutely true. And I’ll prove it to you. Do this now:

Think about a time when you were really scared. Picture in your mind the images of what made it so scary. Feel what you felt at the time, think what you thought while you were there. Blow the images up really big and make them life-like. Keep running it through your mind over and over while you do this, reliving the experience.

Now if you’ve done it properly you’ll be feeling a little nervous. A little scared at reliving that experience. Not as scared as you were at the time, but certainly you’ll be feeling rather anxious about it.

So how is it that, even though you’re sitting comfortably reading this and feel safe and secure while doing so, that replaying that scary incident over again in your head rekindles the feelings and worry you had when the actual experience was physically taking place?

Quite simply, it’s because your mind doesn’t know the difference between what’s real and what isn’t.

Try it a different way. Relive, in the same way as above, ways in which you felt overjoyed or incredibly successful, or really clever and pleased with yourself. Follow the same steps to intensify the experience.

You’ll get those feelings back, too. Those euphoric, amazing feelings of happiness will come flooding back as if you’re right there now, doing what it is you’re thinking about.

So how can you use this fact to improve your life? Let me give you an example:

Many, many people loathe the thought of speaking in public. They fill their minds with the scariest thoughts they can muster up with everything going wrong, fluffing their lines and facing a hostile audience.

But it is, quite literally, all in the mind. Instead of thinking that way, picture the performance going exactly as planned with the audience loving everything you say. Imagine them laughing at your jokes and seeing faces light up when you reveal a secret or two. Picture everyone listening intently to every word you say because your information is vastly important to them.

While reading this you can easily see the difference it makes. All you need to do is apply the same strategy to other areas of your life as well. You’ll be amazed at the difference it can make when you simply use your mind to see things going well instead of wrong. Most people are full of negativity and it’s actually the way they think about things that does this to them.

Change the way you think and you can change your entire life.

James Simpson

These 7 suggestions to get a good night’s sleep can improve your memory, mood and focus.

“The mind of man is like a clock that is always running down, and requires to be constantly wound up.”
William Hazlitt (1778-1830) British essayist.

You could take the most powerful supplements available to boost your mind but if you don’t do these 7 suggestions for a good night’s sleep you will never realize total improvement to your memory, mood and focus and will never gain the full benefits of a supplement. So if you could benefit from a deep sleep then follow these 7 suggestions …

First, stick to drinking anything that has caffeine like coffee, tea or soda to as early in the days as possible. Caffeine in any form, yes even chocolate, can effect some people for half of the day. It is really best avoided after dinner time to include, any stimulants known to promote energy.

Second, keep your physical workouts to the late afternoon and early evening. Make sure you don’t exercise within 3 hours of bedtime as this can cause your body to be too aroused and might delay sleep or cause your sleep to be too light.

Third, do eat a small amount of food before going to bed. Contrary to popular belief a light to moderate snack about 2 hours before bedtime can actually help you sleep better. It is suggested that you eat something that includes bread or pasta or things that have carbs in them.

Fourth, avoid any kind of violent shows and such because violent situations can enter your dreams. But do stop the mental activity about an hour or so before bedtime by watching a comedy or reading a good but lighthearted book.

Fifth, the use of earplugs or earmuffs can help a lot in achieving a deep and uninterrupted sleep. Do you recall how hard it was last time that cat fight or dog barking made it on your much deserved night’s rest? And for the eyes wear some soft eye shades because there isn’t any reason to wake up at the crack of dawn just because your curtain isn’t enough to keep the early morning light out.

Sixth, when you are in bed, try some relaxation moves. Deep and slow belly breathing while shaking the legs, feet, arms, shoulders, and neck can help you drift off to sleep. Just lay on your back, relax and remember to breath in between each relaxation of the muscles groups and don’t forget all those muscles in the face too.

Seventh, now after you wake up make sure you get at least 20 minutes of early morning light. This will help regulate your sleep cycle and allow you to fall asleep more easily.

Once you have had a good nights sleep you will be much more able to focus, and nothing seems to help with a cranky mood more than a good nights rest. A deep sleep will greatly improve your overall cognition and lead you to a much improved state of mind.

Tina Garvin

PS
You may want to check out this great resource. It will help you get a good night’s sleep!

Here’s why self improvement doesn’t exist.

We’re awashed in information. And the self-improvement arena is no exception. From the “clinical” to the “kooky”, the approaches that are coming at us are too fast, too furious.

And we end up becoming “techniques collectors” instead of actually doing what it takes to achieve those so-called improvements we desperately seek. But we’re missing the point. There is nothing to improve. “Self-improvement” is a misnomer. The self cannot be improved. It just IS.

Instead of trying to improve the self, simply slow down, take a deep breath, look at where you are and be quiet. Watch your thoughts. Don’t react, don’t respond, don’t analyze. Just watch. Notice that YOU are having thoughts.

That’s all.

Do this for some time and you’ll find that in time, your mind clears more easily, you become more aware of when you’re having “thought-attacks” and you don’t react. You have clarity of mind. You become attuned to what’s going on around and within you.

And out of the still center, your inner wisdom surfaces, and you’re able not only to cope, but to thrive. Yet, in the midst of it all, you’ll also have what we all seek more of — peace.

Kenneth Tang

Here are seven top motivation lessons:

1 – The mind affects the body, and vice-versa
The condition of our bodies will generally affect our motivation, our motivation will have an effect on the way we treat our bodies. If we are demotivated we are more likely to sit at home watching TV, whereas if we are motivated we are more likely to get up and go for a run or keep fit.
It works the other way around too, if we are fit and healthy we are more likely to face challenges with enthusiasm and energy. However, if we are unfit or sick, we may allow challenges to overcome us.

2 – Be accountable to yourself…
Who is the boss? You are. The only person you have to answer to is yourself. So, while you’re sitting around doing nothing when you could be working towards achieving your goals… tell yourself off, go and do it. Who’s goals are they?

3 – Inspire yourself by doing something unexpected
If at any time you feel like you are going nowhere, do something new and exciting. There are millions of new experiences available to everyone. Ever done a bungee or parachute jump? What about taking a last minute holiday to a random destination? Surprise yourself, break out of your old routine.

4 – Use visualisation to program desired behaviour
We learn through experience, nothing stops us from experiencing things in our own imagination.
The human mind is a powerful tool, by harnessing the power of our own imagination we are able to conjure up scenarios and play out our actions. We can correct mistakes before they even happen. By doing this, when a real life situation arises, we have already learned the best course of action to take.

5 – When setting goals, start with the end result and work backwards
The achievement of a goal is a personal triumph, by knowing exactly what you need to achieve you are able to focus on the exact steps which will lead you to success.

6 – Aspire to improve every day
Whether you have a weakness or would like to do something more efficiently, there is always something which you can improve. We grow through constant improvement.

7 – Ask yourself the right questions
Your internal dialogue will either inspire you or limit your progress depending on the questions you ask yourself. Instead of asking “why?” ask “why not?” For every question you ask yourself, decide if there is a more inspiring question which could be asked.

Karl Warren