When you are experiencing a particularly rough day…or week here are some thoughts to ponder and some ideas to take note of.

• You have been through rough moments before and you are still here in one piece.
• Go take a nap.  Things will look a little brighter when you wake up.  A lack of sleep makes things worse.  Your coping skills are better when you are rested.
• Jump in the bathtub and relax yourself.  Think things through while you are in there.  Put your energy into coming up with a solution instead of worrying.
• Count your blessings.  Look around you.  Look at your children.
• Hold on to your faith.  Cling to it and pray.

Remember, that this too shall pass.  You will look back and realize that you are stronger than you realize.  You will prevail and become even stronger when it is all over.

Tip #1: Physical Self-Care. Make a plan to eat healthily, exercise 3-4 times per week, get plenty of sleep, and do some slow deep breathing. Taking care of your body will help keep you sharp and focused.

Tip #2: Emotional Self-Care. Ask yourself these important questions, “What do I need emotionally to keep moving forward? What do I need emotionally to keep my feet on the ground as I focus on my goals?” Listen to yourself, and take action.

Tip #3: Friendship Support. Check in with yourself on this important source of support. What friendships do you have in place that will sustain you as you pursue your goals? What type of support do you need? Everyone is different on this. For some it is time to talk, for others it is a good pep talk when discouraged, and for still others it might be a kick in the pants when you need it. Take the time to write down a list of friends you can go to for support, and what you need. Then take action to ask them if they’d be willing to support you in the ways you need. You aren’t meant to do this alone…so don’t!

Tip #4: Spiritual Self-Care. If your spirituality is an important factor in your life, make sure to take time to nurture this part of your life. A healthy spiritual life can provide a great source of inspiration, purpose, strength, and stability.

Tip #5: Have Some Fun. Don’t forget to take time to enjoy the good things in life. Think about fun activities that energize and rejuvenate you. Set aside time each week…even if for just 30 minutes to do some fun activities. You are worth it, and taking the time to refresh yourself will help you do your best work!

Tip #6: Have Some Colleagues in Place to Brainstorm. It’s so important to have like-minded peers who are the same path to challenge, inspire, and encourage you. Set up a regular meeting with a colleague, join or create your own monthly mastermind group. This support and fresh viewpoint will give you the motivation and boost you need.

Tip #7: Erase Your Negative Messages. A vital part of your self-care is wiping out as quickly as possible the automatic negative message we all struggle with. Try to not be surprised or derailed by them. When they come there are a variety of ways to eradicate them. Practice some of the following ways, and see which ones work best for you. For example, imagine that message on a blackboard and erase it; See it on a computer screen and delete it; or picture it as a mean old discouraging troll and blast it away! The most important thing is to face these negative and draining messages head-on, and get rid of them!

Tip #8: Practice Positive Self-Talk. Part of staying in balance as you pursue your dreams and goals involves coming alongside yourself as an encouraging best friend. Think about what you really need encouragement about, and write these supportive statements on index cards and keep one in your wallet, desk, or bathroom counter. Repeat these statements to yourself frequently. Here are some examples: “What I have to contribute is meaningful and important; I can do it! Just keep going, progress comes one step at a time; I am meant to do this in the world; etc.”

Tip #9: Nurture Your Closest Family Relationships. It’s easy to neglect our family relationships hoping they will understand, etc. This is only realistic in the very short-term. Make sure to put time into the family relationships that are meaningful to you. Make sure to thank them for the varying kinds of support they are giving you. Don’t assume they just know — they need to hear it! Take the time to ask them what their needs are during this time you are focusing on pursuing your goals.

Tip#10: Ask Yourself How You Are Doing. Don’t forget to check in with yourself regularly to see how you are doing, and what you need. It’s easy to get lost as you pursue your goals. Neglecting yourself will lead to burnout, discouragement, and even giving up on your goals. Don’t let it happen. Take time each night to see how you are doing inside, and respond to yourself in the ways you need.

You’re welcome to “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects approximately 2 – 3 % of Australians, and the same percentage worldwide. But unfortunately not a lot of people seek help as it is classed among society as an embarrassing disorder or disease. The obsessions are the thoughts and images that you might experience against your will, often on a permanent basis. And it’s these obsessive thoughts and images that lead to the carrying out of compulsions, the physical or mental behaviors that are often performed in order to mask or distract from the obsessions that caused them in the first place.

Obviously OCD vary from person to person, and often the variations will be massive. But there are a handful of obsessions that are experienced by the vast majority of people who have OCD. If you have OCD then you may experience obsessive thoughts about extreme violence, either violence against you, or performed by you. This will sometimes involve people you love, such as your friends and family members, people you have no actual wish to ever harm, and your problem of OCD affects your near and dear ones. These random violent thoughts are experienced by everyone from time to time, and mean nothing. If you have OCD, though, you’re more likely to be negatively affected by these images, and feel guilty, regretful, and scared by them. OCD not only affects you but also affects your family.

The good news is that the earlier OCD is treated, the greater the chance of a quick and complete recovery. OCD treatment would normally combine few different methods, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), medication and complementary exercise like Yoga, Taiji, Qigong and meditation. For more information on OCD and how to overcome Obsessive Compulsive Disorder check out BeatingYourOCDHandBookReviewscam.

photo credit: King Chung Huang

photo credit: JustKiddingHa

Stress. These are just six letters that can mean the difference between two eight-letter words – survival and insanity. What a fine line the 6.6 billion people of this world walks on! But as we still see human beings ruling the planet we call Earth, we can safely surmise that humans have the most developed sense of coping with stress. Us and crocodiles, maybe. But that is another story.

One of the better ways to cope with stress is to burn it off and be gone with it. Before you get ideas about whipping out your cigarette case, selecting a fine roll of cigarette, lighting it most suavely, and drawing upon it with deep breaths, this is not it. Smoking is but a temporary relief from the symptoms of stress and can do more harm than good to both your emotional and physical health. And what good does that do except feed on your stress?

Rather, you can burn off in other ways. Here is how.

#1 Burn Off Calories

You can exercise to burn off both calories and stress. Scientific studies have proven the beneficial effects of even moderate exercise on physical health, which can help in developing a well-balanced mental health.

When you exercise regularly, you produce less stress hormones and more happy hormones. Thus, you will feel less depressed, less anxious and less restless, all of which you will appreciate in stress management. And you will have a more fit and fabulous body, to boot!

#2 Burn Incense and Candles

And while you are at it, meditate! You need not meditate on spiritual things if you are so inclined. The important thing about meditation is its positive effects on stress reduction specifically in attaining an enhanced state of relaxation and concentration.

And the fact that meditation allows for control on blood pressure and heart rate is a welcome bonus. You will come out of meditation feeling more relaxed in both mind and body. Soon enough, you an meditate even without the scented incense and candles to set the mood, maybe even do a walking meditation like the Buddhist monks.

#3 Burn Your Thoughts

Not put your head on fire literally with those Zippo lighters of yours! Gee, that would be a very horrible sight indeed. Rather, you can write down all your negative thoughts on paper and burn them literally.

This can be a symbolic sort of goodbye much like how you burned all the personal mementos, even the littlest of personalized cufflinks, of that jerk whom you call your ex. Very cleansing, don’t you think?

So, the next time you feel like dragging on a smoke and burning your lungs to chase away the stress, why not opt for burning other things like calories, candles and crap?

photo credit: parhessiastes

When we think of Self Defense Products these days usually one thing comes to mind… That’s pepper spray. But when we think of pepper spray, we are thinking of how we know it today. It has been around for hundreds of years. No, maybe not in the same convenient form that we know of today but the basis was still there same.

To understand how pepper stay has been around so long you must first understand the makeup of pepper spray . A lot of people believe that pepper spray is some crazy chemical compoundmade of all sorts of crazy stuff and the only reason the word pepper is used is so it sounds nicer. The is surely not the truth. The makeup is very simple it is an extract of oleoresin capsicum from the chili pepper. For the most part is all nature but it can be concentrated making it very powerful.

Now that we knowthe roots of this wonder substance can understand how it has been used for so long. It goes all the way back to China hundreds of years ago . It was not uncommon for hot pepper s to beground down and used as a means of self defense . The extreme burning and blinding of oleoresin capsicum made it an ideal solution for close range fighting . In fact it can even be traced to some early ninjas. It was very apparent from early on that this was a very effective defense tool.

In the 1960’s pepper spray starting moving towards the modern version that we all know . During that era there was a lot of research and development that went into designing new chemical agentssuch as tear gas. As a result of all this research there were several different types of crowd control agents developed including pepper spray.

In the 1980’s it was marketed under the name Halt Animal Repellent and was primarily used by postal workers to defend themselves from dogs. Pepper spray was soon picked up by hunters and forestry agents as a self defense measure against wild animals . Still at this time it was not widely use by the public.

It wasn’t until the 1990s that pepper spray really started to take hold. The FBI promoted it as an effective crowd control method and soon thousands oflaw enforcement agencies decided to use it . Once it was standard issue for most police officersit moved its way to the general product. By then it had been made much more convenient to own pepper spray due to the small sizes of the containers. You also didn’t have to worry about where to buy mace pepper spray because many stored took it on. It made it a very easy self defense option for many men and women.

Even today pepper spray still stands as the number on self defense product on the market. It comes in many different shapes and sizes starting small with a keychain pepper spray, then moving up to mid size bottles for your purse or pocket and finally you have the extra large sizes for your home or business.

Pepper spray is an extremely effective way to keep yourself safe. It packs a huge punch and will take down almost any attacker. I defiantly recommend it to everybody.

photo credit: bethography – melting mama

The problem with losing weight is typically motivation. People are happy just sitting back on the couch and watching TV. How many times have you seen people stop their vehicle in front of the mailbox to get the mail through the window. Why not drive in and park have a walk back to the mailbox instead. It all adds up. No, walking down your driveway will not get you in shape unless you live five miles from the main road. But you have to get motivated to shape up and it can start with the little things. Visit Keynote Speaker for more information

So how do you get motivated? Well, put a photo up of your goal on the bathroom mirror. Remind yourself every day why you need to workout, get in shape and eat properly. There is no reason for you to be overweight unless you just choose to be.

You can learn how to lose weight by listening to motivational CDs or even watching DVDs. One way to stay motivated is to go to a gym. They have exercise classes that will help you get fit. You will begin meeting people who have the same goals which will help you stay motivated. They will make you accountable for participating. Ideally the motivation to exercise should come from within. You should want to be in shape and not be overweight. You just have to want to do it.

The motivation to slim up should be simply to live a healthy life. No, it is not particularly easy or fun, especially if you are not accustomed to doing it. But are you going to be accustomed to having a heart attack? A Stroke? Diabetes? The health benefits of getting fit and losing weight far outweigh the inconvenience. Visit Keynote Speaker for more information

75% of Americans disagree though. They have no problem with being overweight. The medical community now believe that modern medicine has made it possible to stay alive longer and be obese. It makes people relax about losing the weight.

Why would someone want to be overweight and unfit? You can hear the overweight and out of shape coming a mile away. The huffing and puffing as they make their way down the hallway at work or climbing a set of stairs. They cannot move comfortably toting all that weight around. That alone should be motivation enough to get in shape and lose weight.

Get motivated and reduce your fat. Your life will be much better. Visit Keynote Speaker

photo credit: diongillard

Nail biting is related to skin picking and hair pulling. People are often asked why they can’t stop and are regularly asked if they are Crazy. Nail biting often occurs when nail biters are in one of two modes. Some folks do it in an automated way, as if they are in some type of altered state and not actually brooding about what they do. It’s frequently when they are engrossed in some other activity at the same time, like watching Television or working on the PC, for example. At a particularly basic level, this will satisfy an urge of theirs. There are resources available to help with ways to stop nail biting.

A lot of people report a wild compulsion to do this. On the other hand, when they are bored or inactive, they appear to supply a required level of kick to the nervous system. This potentially accounts for why so many folk who have these habits find it so hard to erase these habits. It simply “feels good” at the point, irrespective of what are the effects. Even if you’ve got more than one of these bad habits, don’t despair. They can be overcome if you have enough motivation. More crucial is learning to “de-stigmatize” yourself.

You aren’t funny, helpless, morally weak or fully out of control, though you can feel just like some or all these things at times. Once you get down to realizing that you are merely a person who simply happens to have a little difficulty, you can begin to make some major progress.

Skin picking and nail biting are chronic issues, so there’s not currently a “cure” but you’ll be able to find relief if you are prepared to work at it, & study ways to stop nail biting

Self-hypnosis for nail biting contains 3 parts. NLP & Hypnotherapy For People Who Bite Their Nails. To start with, nail biting is a stress related habit. So the 1st part of the hypnotic treatment is to teach the biter ways to be more relaxed at all times. That is due to the fact that the real essence of hypnosis is relaxation.

Then you can consciously decide whether you are really going to bite them. This could be a tough method that may effectively relieve the compulsion.

The 3rd part of the hypnotic treatment is to get rid of the compulsion to bite the nails. With the nail biting behavior, being pragmatic is critical. You want to accept the nail biting behavior won’t simply be overcome in two weeks. It can take a little time to conquer, but I think that it is definitely worth it. Experience has shown self hypnosis methods to be really effective.

photo credit: mecredis

We all want to improve short term memory; it is simply because we all know how valuable memory is in our regular lives. In fact, a majority of life successes actually depend on the capacity of memory encoding and retrieval skills. There is a great variety of serious techniques available in the market for enhancing memory skills. But people can also enjoy the time while enhancing their memory capability by simply getting engaged into various memory games as well. Let us explore a few popular memory games that can be played either individually or in a group setting.

Story Telling

When we need to remember the name and phone number, we simply repeat it few times before dialing. But some times after dialing, many of us simply forget the number. This is because we didn’t simply put the number into the segment of our long term memory. So we are unable to remember it later in time.

Story telling is a good memory game that focuses on the critical aspects of long term memory. The idea here is to simply connect the facts or items one needs to remember. When a story is told in a group, it enables the player to visualize a strong mental image of the incidences happening inside the story. This, in turn, helps in encoding the data to an image so that it can be stored in long term memory.

Matching Pairs

It is another wonderful memory game that involves matching pairs from a large bunch of playing cards that help to remember. This game can be played either individually or in pairs. The game can be started by laying out 24 cards containing 12 matched pairs. The player must not know the exact location of any single card in the bulk. The player must turn one card at a time, and look at the image on the card, and then the player turns its face down once again. The player needs to repeat this process till the image in the card matches with the card opened earlier. Now the objective is to find the pair by recalling its location from earlier drawings.

Remembering Names

This type of memory game is played in group of 10 to 12 people. In this game, the players may decide between themselves about the category of names to play with. Say, it is decided that the category will be ‘country’. The players can sit together by forming a circle.

Now the first player will say the name of one country, say, Italy, for example. The second player needs to mention the name already told by the first player in addition to maintain the right order and then add the name of the country he wants to say. If the second player likes to say, ‘Germany’, then following the game’s rule, he must say, ‘Italy, Germany’. The next player will say, ‘Italy, Germany, France’, where France is the name the third player wants to include in the list. It will be repeated in the same fashion for every one in the group. When someone will make a mistake in either recalling a name or maintaining the accurate order, he will be eliminated from the group.

photo credit: laurenatclemson

The holidays are a special time to be together with our family and friends. They can also be a time of introspection….a time to reflect on what is most important to us in our life.

For some people, the holidays become rushed….filled with too many social events and not enough time to rest and rejuvenate. We feel out of balance. By taking a little time to ourselves, we can enjoy the holidays even more.

Here are five easy ways to help you have a memorable holiday season. They are:

1. Act on the Gentle Nudges Coming From Your Heart.
2. Ask Your Body What It Needs.
3. Slow Down.
4. Say “No” When Something Doesn’t Feel Right to You.
5. Celebrate Your Life.

This article shares how you can use these simple ideas to enrich your holiday season.

Act on the Gentle Nudges Coming From Your Heart

When you have a feeling that prompts you to do something in your life, it may be an idea that brings joy to you and to others. We often ignore our feelings to take action or try something new because we are too busy or we are afraid of what other people will think.

One way to act on these feelings is to write them down. By carrying a notepad or journal with you, you can write down the insights that come to you during the day.

Having a regular time set aside to work with them each week helps you take new actions that can bring many wonderful opportunities into your life.

The holidays are a perfect time to reflect on what is important to you and to receive insights which can change your life. It can also be a time to let go of what is no longer working so that you can make room for the new. These help to make the next year of your life a joyful one.

Ask Your Body What It Needs

Your body is constantly giving you messages about what it needs to be healthy and in balance. This is especially important during the holidays.

Let’s say that you are with your family at your brother’s house on Christmas day. Everyone is in the kitchen preparing dinner together. You have the desire to take
a walk outside.

The walk refreshes you and when you return, you have even more joy and feelings
of wellbeing to share with your family and loved ones.

Giving our body what it needs during the holidays can be as simple as taking a walk or a short rest. This helps us to stay in balance and enjoy our family and friends even more.

Slow Down

With many holiday events on your calendar, you may want to give yourself a day to rest and rejuvenate. What would you enjoy doing? Would you like to hike, read your favorite book or receive a massage?

Say “No” When Something Doesn’t Feel Right To You

When your calendar is filled with more social events than you want to attend, you may want to say ‘no’ to some of them.

If you are afraid that you will hurt someone’s feelings, you can let them know that you are taking some time for yourself during the holidays and will give them a call in the New Year.

Celebrate Your Life

Being grateful for what we have is one way to celebrate our life. It also helps us to receive more of the things which brings us joy.

Another way to celebrate is to keep a holiday journal and write down what we are grateful for and what we would like to create in the New Year.

Taking action on what we desire is an active way to be grateful. It helps us to accomplish our goals more easily and this brings joy to ourselves and to others.

Practicing these simple ideas helps you to have joy and balance during the holidays. You can also use them throughout the year to create continuing momentum for your activities and wellbeing in your life.

photo credit: sashafatcat

Christmas can bring happiness, joy and stress, that is, for sure. Yearly, I have to go through the stress of this festive season. Sometimes for me, I see Christmas just like the usual depressing and happiest holiday of the year. Why? Due to that I think about something that I haven’t done at all this year, and with another one approaching quickly I don’t know if I’ll be able to make my goal. It’s the fact of having a baby, is the thing that is so depressing for me. My man Labron, he just helps me relax and makes sure I don’t worry myself to death at this holiday that comes once a year and always ends up ok. Everything down to picking up my new upside down christmas tree stresses me out!

I always think that the reason could be that Christmas shows me the things I’m lacking and that leads to more Christmas stress, both because I shouldn’t be thinking such things and because it’s sad to think about. But things actually turn better when eve comes. There are people who I see that I rarely get to, my parents for one, since they live in Maine and we are all the way in Florida, also I like to see my 3 nieces. Although sometimes we don’t encourage them to visit us during Christmas because I know they have other plans on this occasion.

Due to everything, I try to do a few things I’ve learned over the years to distract myself. Often I try to look into the future and write down everything I need to get done for Christmas day. My hubby tries his hardest to help me by making suggestions on how we can stretch our dollars even further during the holiday seasons. And next year we are hoping to spend Christmas abroad, at least that could be a less stressful for us. I like to think of the things I’m looking forward to purely for my enjoyment like my chandelier christmas tree.