March 1, 2010
Did you know that before the advent of electricity we humans used to sleep for around 10 hours each night, these days the average is less than 7 hours! It’s pretty safe to assume that most of us are surviving on less sleep than we need.
Being very adaptable we may not notice this but as sleep is essential to replenishRead more on A Good Night’s Sleep…
Filed under Lifestyle by on Mar 1st, 2010. 
February 26, 2010
As a teen, it must be rather difficult to always be positive in every situation. Growing up in society today is challenging and teenagers are often compelled to be defensive. Teenagers are not usually compassionate individuals. They are constantly in competition and jealousy is a huge factor. The fight to always be number one is very common in the teenage world. It is unfortunate and sad since these years ought to be the best years of their lives.Read more on Anger Management for Teens…
Filed under Health & Healing, Lifestyle by on Feb 26th, 2010.
February 10, 2010
Getting your closet organized in a manner that is going to continually serve you takes time. The success of your endeavor is going to depend on the system you devise to keep your closet organized. Most of us have never stopped to consider all the open space in our closet. The key to being successful isRead more on An Organised Closet – 1…Filed under Lifestyle by on Feb 10th, 2010.
December 14, 2009
Do you start every year with lots of good intentions? Me too.
Have you forgotten all your good intentions before the month is out? Me too.
This year try something a little different. Read more on New Year New You?…
Filed under Barry's Blog, Lifestyle by on Dec 14th, 2009.
December 4, 2009
They say there’s more than one way to skin a cat. The same goes when you start tearing your hair out with all the frustration, grief, anxiety, and yes, stress. It’s a state of mental conditioning that is like taking that bitter pill down your throat, causing you to lose your sense of self, and worse your sanity. Just thinking about it can drive anyone off the edge.
And they say that the proactive ones are already living off the edge.
As one stressed-out person to another, I know how it feels, and believe me there are many variants when it comes to stress. Coping with life, and carrying the problems that may or may not belong to you can scratch away the little joy and happiness that you can carry once you head out that door. You can’t blame them for being like that; they have their own reasons, so much like we have our reasons to allow stress to weigh us down. They say that stress is all in the mind, well, what’s bugging you anyway?
There are several ways to manage stress, and eventually remove it out of your life one of these days. So I’ll try to divide it into a seven-day course for you and I promise it’s not going to be too taxing on the body, as well as on the mind.
1. Acknowledge stress is good
Make stress your friend! Based on the body’s natural “fight or flight” response, that burst of energy will enhance your performance at the right moment. I’ve yet to see a top sportsman totally relaxed before a big competition. Use stress wisely to push yourself that little bit harder when it counts most.
2. Avoid stress sneezers
Stressed people sneeze stress germs indiscriminately and before you know it, you are infected too!
Protect yourself by recognizing stress in others and limiting your contact with them. Or if you’ve got the inclination, play stress doctor and teach them how to better manage themselves.
3. Learn from the best
When people around are losing their head, who keeps calm? What are they doing differently? What is their attitude? What language do they use? Are they trained and experienced?
Figure it out from afar or sit them down for a chat. Learn from the best stress managers and copy what they do.
4. Practice socially acceptable heavy breathing
This is something I’ve learned from a gym instructor: You can trick your body into relaxing by using heavy breathing. Breathe in slowly for a count of 7 then breathe out for a count of 11. Repeat the 7-11 breathing until your heart rate slows down, your sweaty palms dry off and things start to feel more normal.
5. Give stressy thoughts the red light
It is possible to tangle yourself up in a stress knot all by yourself. “If this happens, then that might happen and then we’re all up the creek!” Most of these things never happen, so why waste all that energy worrying needlessly?
Give stress thought-trains the red light and stop them in their tracks. Okay so it might go wrong – how likely is that, and what can you do to prevent it?
6. Know your trigger points and hot spots
Presentations, interviews, meetings, giving difficult feedback, tight deadlinesÖ. My heart rate is cranking up just writing these down!
Make your own list of stress trigger points or hot spots. Be specific. Is it only presentations to a certain audience that get you worked up? Does one project cause more stress than another? Did you drink too much coffee?
Knowing what causes you stress is powerful information, as you can take action to make it less stressful. Do you need to learn some new skills? Do you need extra resources? Do you need to switch to decaf?
7. Burn the candle at one end
Lack of sleep, poor diet and no exercise wreaks havoc on our body and mind. Kind of obvious, but worth mentioning as it’s often ignored as a stress management technique. Listen to your mother and don’t burn the candle at both ends!
So having stress can be a total drag, but that should not hinder us to find the inner peace of mind that we have wanted for a long time. In any case, one could always go to the Bahamas and bask under the summer sun.
They say there’s more than one way to skin a cat. The same goes when you start tearing your hair out with all the frustration, grief, anxiety, and yes, stress. It’s a state of mental conditioning that is like taking that bitter pill down your throat, causing you to lose your sense of self, and worse your sanity. Just thinking about it Read more on 7 Days to Stress Management…
Filed under Lifestyle by on Dec 4th, 2009.
December 3, 2009
Not just for slicing into your G&T, lemons can be used to make some fabulous beauty treats. Try some of the following:Read more on Luscious Lemons…
Filed under Lifestyle by on Dec 3rd, 2009.
The growth of computer usage has been phenomenal – we use them for work and play. It seems almost impossible now to anything without ‘chips’ being involved somewhere.
As fast as our love affair with these gadgets has grown, so has the damage to our bodies. But it doesn’t have to be this way, by making some simple changes we can have our computers and Read more on Learning to Live with Computers…
Filed under Lifestyle by on Dec 3rd, 2009.
November 3, 2009
Okay ladies, we all want to look our best, feel our best, and be at our best and honestly at times that can be darn challenging! We work all day and then come home and work all night and then wonder why our complexion isn’t peaches and cream. We wonder why our skin is chapped and why our hair just never seems to look as great as the ladies in those shampoo commercials. Well ladies, here it is! Your ultimate beauty regimen custom made for you! By the way, it’s custom because you decide which essential oils to use.
Water sprays with a few drops of essential oils are handy for that quick pick-me-ups needed throughout the day. The sprays are easy to make and it’s a good idea to keep several different ones available for whatever need might arise. The rosemary mist is an invigorating post shower spray that you can apply after you’ve towel dried. Combine 6 drops of rosemary essential oil and a rosemary sprig with one teaspoon of olive in 5 ounces of water. You can also create other sprays using 6 drops of essential oil in 5 ounces water. The grapefruit essential oil is also known to promote feelings of happiness and peace and to combat feelings of fatigue and exhaustion.
At least once a month or whenever needed, make a bath mush and rejuvenate your skin. Use 1/4 cup aloe gel, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup sea or rock salt, 1/4 cup heavy cream or powdered milk, 2 teaspoons jojoba oil and 5 drops of essential oil. Mix the ingredients right before using and pour it into your bath water. Your skin will thank you for it!
Keep a massage oil and lotion made using your favorite essential oil handy. Our bodies are sensitive to touch and massaging affected areas with the oils or lotions helps promote circulation. The massage oil and lotion not only helps our emotional well-being, but it can also help to keep our skin feeling it’s best. For an energizing massage oil blend, mix 6 drops grapefruit oil with 4 drops of ginger essential oil in 1 ounce of a carrier oil like sweet almond. Should you ever need it, here’s a great recipe for headaches. Mix 5 drops of lavender and 1 drop of peppermint essential oil into 1 tablespoon carrier oil.
One of the best things about this regimen is that the effects of the aromatherapy help to keep our emotions in a positive state. So not only do we have our skin and body cared for, we have our minds cared for too! We’ll not only look great, but feel great too! Keeping a positive mindset about the way we view ourselves is important part of looking great and feeling great.
It is also important to note that the use of essential oils vary from person to person. If we experience any type of redness or itching after the application of the essential oil, wash the area immediately. Also important is that aromatherapy does not replace proper medical treatment. Consult with your doctor or aromatherapy practitioner before starting any aromatherapy regimen.
Okay ladies, we all want to look our best, feel our best, and be at our best and honestly at times that can be darn challenging! We work all day and then come home and work all night and then wonder why our complexion isn’t peaches and cream. Read more on Ultimate Beauty Regimen…
Filed under Lifestyle by on Nov 3rd, 2009.
October 22, 2009
Stress is the curse of living in modern times. Everyone suffers from stress. And the stress we suffer takes a heavy toll on our bodies, emotions and minds.
Feeling stressed out, worn out by fatigue or just simply having a miserable day, the best thing to do is relax.
Watching television may be a form of relaxation for some, but is not a recommended method by experts. When we watch TV we are bombarded with commercials, ads, sounds and images. So how do we achieve relaxation? If there are thousands of ways we can get stressed, one of them is not meeting deadlines, there are also many ways we can relax.
In recent studies, experts have determined that heart disease is linked to anger and irritability is linked to mental stress. Too much stress brings about ischemia that can lead to or cause a heart attack. Relaxation takes on added importance in light of this matter. Managing your anger and attitude is significant to heart health, and relaxation can help you manage stress.
One way of relaxation is transcendental meditation. Recent studies have also shown that this method might reduce artery blockage, which is a major cause for heart attack and stroke. People practice transcendental meditation by repeating uttering soothing sounds while meditating, this is to achieve total relaxation. The researchers found that practitioners of transcendental meditation significantly reduced the thickness of their arterial wall compared with those who didn’t practice transcendental meditation.
Another study on another method of relaxation, acupuncture, seems to reduce high blood pressure by initiating several body functions for the brain to release chemical compounds known as endorphins. Endorphin helps to relax muscles, ease panic, decrease pain, and reduce anxiety.
Yoga is also another method for relaxation and may also have similar effects like acupuncture. In another study, participants were subjected to several minutes of mental stress. Then they were subjected to various relaxation techniques, such as listening to nature sounds or classical music. Only those who did Yoga significantly reduced the time it took for their blood pressures to go back to normal. Yoga is a form of progressive relaxation.
Breathing is one of the easiest methods to relax. Breathing influences alamost all aspects of us, it affects our mind, our moods and our body. Simply focus on your breathing, after some time you can feel its effects right away.
There are several breathing techniques that can help you reduce stress.
Another easy way to achieve relaxation is exercise. If you feel irritated a simple half-hour of exercise will often settle things down. Although exercise is a great way to lose weight, it does not show you how to manage stress appropriately. Exercise should also be used in conjunction with other exercise method.
One great way of relaxation is getting a massage. To gain full relaxation, you need to totally surrender to the handling and touch of a professional therapist.
There are several types of massages that also give different levels of relaxation.
Another method of relaxation is Biofeedback. The usual biofeedback-training program includes a 10-hour sessions that is often spaced one week apart.
Hypnosis is one controversial relaxation technique. It is a good alternative for people who think that they have no idea what it feels like to be relaxed. It is also a good alternative for people with stress related health problems.
Drugs are extreme alternatives to relaxation. They are sometimes not safe and are not effective like the other relaxation methods. This method is only used by trained medical professionals on their patients.
These relaxation techniques are just some of the ways you can achieve relaxation. Another reason why we need to relax, aside from lowering blood pressure in people and decreasing the chances of a stroke or a heart attack, is because stress produces hormones that suppress the immune system, relaxation gives the immune system time to recover and in doing so function more efficiently.
Relaxation lowers the activities within the brains’ limbic system; this is the emotional center of our brain.
Furthermore, the brain has a periodic need for a more pronounced activity on the right-hemisphere. Relaxation is one way of achieving this.
Relaxation can really be of good use once a relaxation technique is regularly built into your lifestyle. Choose a technique that you believe you can do regularly.
Stress is the curse of living in modern times. Everyone suffers from stress. And the stress we suffer takes a heavy toll on our bodies, emotions and minds.
Feeling stressed out, worn out by fatigue or just simply having a miserable day, the best thing to do isRead more on Your Recommended Daily Allowance – for Relaxation…
Filed under Health & Healing, Lifestyle by on Oct 22nd, 2009.
