Fit Self Care into the busy Holiday Season

We all experience it at one time or another; this trespasser called stress. It is perhaps the number one cause of most health problems today. Let’s explore 6 ways to deal with the stress in your life in a healthy and effective manner.

* Talk about the problems you are experiencing with friends, loved ones or a professional. Keeping everything bottled up will only create more problems later on. Join a support group with people experiencing similar problems.

* Exercise often. Go to the park and walk for 20-30 minutes either every day or every other day. Exercise relieves tension and produces a calming effect. Perhaps joining a gym with a friend would be more to your liking.

* Yoga exercises. Sit in a quiet room alone and begin breathing exercises. Choose a mantra which will help you to stay focused.

* Music does calm the savage beast. Listen to some classical or instrumental music. Ocean or nature sounds are a perfect way to release stress.

* Healthy meals can become an important factor in limiting your stress. Ensure you eat three meals a day, and make an effort to avoid too much caffeine and sugar.

* Sleep deprivation can cause stress. Go to bed early. Seven to eight hours sleep can make all the difference.

Coping with stress can be challenging. Every day you seem to be pulled in every direction, trying to accommodate others. The first priority is to take care of you. You are the thread which holds your family together. If you are stressed, you won’t be much good to anyone.

Give yourself a break every now and then. Buy a new outfit; go to a movie; do something you’ve always wanted to do. Your family can take care of themselves for one day. Alone time is just as important to you as it is for everyone else. Think of yourself as a gas tank; eventually you will run out of fuel.

Laughter is a wonderful release. You’ve probably noticed those times when you’ve laughed so hard, you cried. This is probably due to the fact you haven’t laughed in a while, and the tension released through laughter is the best cure-all method for dealing with stress-related issues.

Avoid stressful situations whenever possible. If you are a working mom, it’s probably not the job but the people who are causing you the most stress. Take everything in stride.

If you can’t finish a task, don’t worry about it. If dinner doesn’t turn out as you expected, improvise or order out.

Life is too short; and stress can reduce it further. Nothing is more important than your health or state of mind. Eleanor Roosevelt wisely said, “No one can make you a victim without your consent.” She was right; it is, after all, up to you.

6 Ways to Deal with the Stress in Your Life

We all experience it at one time or another; this trespasser called stress. It is perhaps the number one cause of most health problems today. Let’s explore 6 ways to deal with the stress in your life in a healthy and effective manner.

* Talk about the problems you are experiencing with friends, loved ones or a professional. Keeping everything bottled up will only create more problems later on. Join a support group with people experiencing similar problems.

* Exercise often. Go to the park and walk for 20-30 minutes either every day or every other day. Exercise relieves tension and produces a calming effect. Perhaps joining a gym with a friend would be more to your liking.

* Yoga exercises. Sit in a quiet room alone and begin breathing exercises. Choose a mantra which will help you to stay focused.

* Music does calm the savage beast. Listen to some classical or instrumental music. Ocean or nature sounds are a perfect way to release stress.

* Healthy meals can become an important factor in limiting your stress. Ensure you eat three meals a day, and make an effort to avoid too much caffeine and sugar.

* Sleep deprivation can cause stress. Go to bed early. Seven to eight hours sleep can make all the difference.

Coping with stress can be challenging. Every day you seem to be pulled in every direction, trying to accommodate others. The first priority is to take care of you. You are the thread which holds your family together. If you are stressed, you won’t be much good to anyone.

Give yourself a break every now and then. Buy a new outfit; go to a movie; do something you’ve always wanted to do. Your family can take care of themselves for one day. Alone time is just as important to you as it is for everyone else. Think of yourself as a gas tank; eventually you will run out of fuel.

Laughter is a wonderful release. You’ve probably noticed those times when you’ve laughed so hard, you cried. This is probably due to the fact you haven’t laughed in a while, and the tension released through laughter is the best cure-all method for dealing with stress-related issues.

Avoid stressful situations whenever possible. If you are a working mom, it’s probably not the job but the people who are causing you the most stress. Take everything in stride.

If you can’t finish a task, don’t worry about it. If dinner doesn’t turn out as you expected, improvise or order out.

Life is too short; and stress can reduce it further. Nothing is more important than your health or state of mind. Eleanor Roosevelt wisely said, “No one can make you a victim without your consent.” She was right; it is, after all, up to you.

Take time to think – thoughts are the source of power.

Take time to play – play is the secret of perpetual youth.

Take time to read – reading is the fountain of wisdom.

Take time to pray – prayer can be a rock of strength in time of
need.

Take time to love – loving is what makes living worthwhile.

Take time to be friendly – friendships give life a delicious
flavor.

Take time to laugh – laughter is the music of the soul.

Take time to give – sharing brings joy to your heart.

Take time to work – work is the price of success.

Take time to dream – dreams show you what is possible.

Take time to do your work well – pride in your work nourishes the
mind and the spirit.

Take time to show appreciation – it’s the frosting on the cake of
life.

Almost everyone have heard the hit single ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ by Bobby McFerrin. The song has a very catchy way of conveying its message of being happy to everyone. Bobby Mcferiin’s simple message surely made a lot of people by telling them not to worry.

Living a happy, resilient and optimistic life is wonderful, and is also good for your health. Being happy actually protects you from the stresses of life. Stress is linked to top causes of death such as heart disease, cancer and stroke.

One of the better things ever said is - ‘The only thing in life that will always remain the same is change’, and in our life we have the power to make the necessary changes if we want to. Even if we find ourselves in an unbearable situation we can always find solace in the knowledge that it too would change.

Social networks or relationships are essential to happiness. People are different, accept people for who or what they are, avoid clashes, constant arguments, and let go of all kinds of resentments. If arguments seem unavoidable still try and make an effort to understand the situation and you might just get along with well with

Happiness is actually found in everyone, increasing it is a way to make a life more wonderful and also more healthy.

To be happy is relatively easy, just decide to be a happy person. Abraham Lincoln observed that most people for most of the time can choose how happy or stressed, how relaxed or troubled, how bright or dull their outlook to be. The choice is simple really, choose to be happy.

There are several ways by which you can do this.

Being grateful is a great attitude. We have so much to be thankful for. Thank the taxi driver for bringing you home safely, thank the cook for a wonderful dinner and thank the guy who cleans your windows. Also thank the mailman for bringing you your mails, thank the policeman for making your place safe and thank God for being alive.

News is stressful. Get less of it. Some people just can’t start their day without their daily dose of news. Try and think about it, 99% of the news we hear or read is bad news. Starting the day with bad news does not seem to be a sensible thing to do.

A religious connection is also recommended. Being part of a religious group with its singing, sacraments, chanting, prayers and meditations foster inner peace.

Manage your time. Time is invaluable and too important to waste. Time management can be viewed as a list of rules that involves scheduling, setting goals, planning, creating lists of things to do and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.

Laugh and laugh heartily everyday. Heard a good joke? Tell your friends or family about it. As they also say -’Laughter is the best medicine’.

Express your feelings, affections, friendship and passion to people around you. They will most likely reciprocate your actions. Try not to keep pent up anger of frustrations, this is bad for your health. Instead find ways of expressing them in a way that will not cause more injury or hurt to anyone.

Working hard brings tremendous personal satisfaction. It gives a feeling of being competent in finishing our tasks. Accomplishments are necessary for all of us, they give us a sense of value. Work on things that you feel worthy of your time.

Learning is a joyful exercise. Try and learn something new everyday. Learning also makes us expand and broaden our horizons. And could also give us more opportunities in the future.

Run, jog, walk and do other things that your body was made for. Feel alive.

Avoid exposure to negative elements like loud noises, toxins and hazardous places.

These are the few simple things you can do everyday to be happy.

And always remember the quote from Abraham Lincoln, he says that, “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

When you've got a case of the blues it can be difficult to see an easy way out of them. By nature, emotions tend to feed off of each other. You might start with a mild sense of sadness when you first wake up in the morning, only to find yourself spiraling down into a full-blown case of doldrums as the day progresses.

Before you know it, you're focusing in on every possible worst-case scenario, putting a negative spin on everything people say to you, and otherwise spreading misery wherever you go.

Avoiding this chronic state of unhappiness can be as simple as taking action to lift your spirits before you start the downhill slide!

Here are 3 easy ways to do that:

Choose your attitude.

When you first wake up in the morning, remind yourself that the quality of your day is entirely up to you! Sure, unexpected events could happen, but even those can be kept in perspective by choosing the way you want to react to them. One little thing does not have the power to ruin your whole day unless you grant it that power.

<!--more-->Make a little checklist for yourself, and place it where you will see it when you first wake up. At the top of the list, write this statement: "Today I choose to feel __________." Below that, make a list of possible ways you can feel. Try adjectives like happy, carefree, peaceful, purposeful, confident, relaxed, serene, easygoing, loving, patient, kind, and so on.

Before you get started on your morning routine, read down the list and choose an adjective to describe the mood you want to keep all day long. Then keep reminding yourself of the choice you made if you feel yourself slipping occasionally throughout the day!

Start the day with positive input.

Just like consciously choosing your mood, you can choose to feed your mind uplifting material before it has a chance to absorb anything negative. Keep a stack of inspirational or motivational books by your bedside. First thing in the morning pick one up and open to a page randomly. Read the passage your eyes fall upon first, and take a few moments to reflect on how it pertains to your life.

You can also make this a more interactive exercise by journaling your thoughts and feelings about the passage you just read, or about anything else on your mind.

Step away from the emotions.

Volatile emotions can interfere with your ability to think logically and keep your cool. If you find yourself heating up emotionally when you'd be better off staying calm, remove yourself from the situation for a few minutes so you can detach from your emotions slightly. Use positive self-talk to bring yourself back to a neutral place: "Okay, I'm getting a little upset about this, so I'm going to take a few deep breaths and get very calm and detached from the outcome of this situation." Imagine taking a few mental steps back so you can see the situation clearly, and you should be able to engage your logical mind more easily.

The 5 Myths of Self Care
http://www.simplyextreme.ca

Lack of self-discipline can often be an annoying "catch-22." You find that you need a certain measure of self-discipline in order to become more disciplined, and not having it can cause you to go around in circles trying to make positive changes in your life.

If you are struggling to build up your level of self-discipline, it may not be as difficult as you think - provided you start with these 3 simple steps:

Start with willpower.

Self-discipline eventually becomes a habit, just like any other activity you do on a regular basis. Until then, however, you are likely faced with the challenge of overcoming your other habits while trying to form new ones.

..One good way to get over this hump is by asserting your willpower, consciously and repeatedly. "Willpower" is defined as "energetic determination." That means making a conscious CHOICE to take a certain action (or to avoid taking certain other actions).

When you find your self-discipline slipping, remind yourself that you have the power to choose what you do or don't do - by pure force of will. Avoid allowing outside influences to make your choices for you. Turn your attention inward and make a conscious decision about your actions.

Keep the end result in mind.

The reason temptation is so seductive is that we get sidetracked by what we stand to gain right now, instead of what we stand to gain at some later time. Telling yourself you prefer a healthy, strong body six months from now may be difficult when you're staring at a donut dripping with sweet, gooey icing. All you can think about is the pleasure you'll gain from eating the donut now, rather than the benefits you'll gain from sticking to your health program.

In order to keep temptation from sabotaging your self-discipline efforts, keep a strong reminder of your ultimate goal with you at all times. This can be a photograph from a magazine, a written description of your dream, or even a written vow to yourself.

When you feel tempted to abandon your goals for a momentary pleasure - stop and ask yourself if it's really worth it. Take out your reminder and revisit your goal again. If the goal is still vitally important to you, you should have no trouble choosing the right action.

Repetition and reinforcement.

Self-discipline is formed one decision at a time! You may think of self-discipline as something you either have or don't, but it's not usually that simple. Developing true self-discipline is an ongoing process, not a one-time event.

If you make this insight a part of your long-term plan, you cannot fail! Simply keep making conscious choices for yourself moment to moment, and your self-discipline will be formed as you go along.

In addition, be sure to keep giving yourself positive reinforcement. When you slip up, be sure NOT to beat yourself up over it. Instead, acknowledge that you made a poor choice, and make a better one next time. When you do make a positive choice, shout it from the rooftops! (At least inside your own mind.) Praise yourself and reward yourself for being able to stay aware and faithful to your long-term goal.

The more positive reinforcement you can give yourself, the less painful will be your journey to true self-discipline.

Have you heard the BUZZ the Top Coaches Share Book Series has been created?

The Top Coaches Share series has been making its mark in the last year. Many Top Coaches have participated in the Series, such as Terri Levine, Sharon Wilson, Kathi Frank, David Wood and Lori Smith, plus more then a dozen other coaches.

The Top Coaches Share series was created to show friends and clients the true authentic personalities of the coaches, show that coaches experience struggle and challenges just like you, but they have survived, grown and are now ready to share their insights and experiences with you.
 

What new insights will you find in
Top Coaches Share Their Personal Action Strategies?

Click here now to find out for yourself:
http://www.topcoachesshare.com/volume3/loriSmith/