The Ministry of stress

Real Vampires

2011-07-26T00:47:00.001+01:00

By Kathy Wilson

Vampires are all the rage now. Magazines, books, movies... all are touting something or other vampirish.
Most of us in Western Washington are aware that the town of Forks has been transformed from a logging town into a vampire-y tourist mecca as a result of the filming of recent vampire movies in that locale. Souvenir shops with all things of the world of vampires are sprouting up on the main (and only) street in town Forks and vampire tours are now available. Menus in restaurants sport vampirish names for their entrees. Tourists line up at the entrance to Forks, waiting to have their picture taken in front of the "Welcome to Forks" sign.
I recently had the diabolical idea of opening up a shop in Forks to sell items that protect one from vampires, such as...

Strings of garlic to wear around one's neck
Wooden stakes to pound through a vampire's heart. Hammer included, of course.
Mirrors to detect which of your friends are truly vampires (they have no reflection in a mirror, you know).

Although my idea was based on humor, protecting oneself from vampires is not a joke. Vampires are indeed real.
The vampires I'm referring to aren't the blood-sucking, red-eyed monsters with long, sharp fangs depicted in movies and novels. The type of vampire I'm talking about is just as real and harmful as the fictional one. This vampire will drain you of your life force so slyly that you may not even be aware of it as it happens.
They're Energy Vampires.
How to Protect Yourself from Energy Vampires
The first and most important step to protect yourself from an Energy Vampire sucking you dry of all your energy is awareness: you must first recognize them..Although they have no visible outward characteristics for you to easily identify them, like long fangs or being surrounded by a flock of bats, you can easily recognize them by their behaviors.

Chronic complainers: They can drain you of your energy just by being near you. These people don't want to change a thing in their life. They just want you to listen to their sad stories... over and over and over. They leave you feeling depressed, dumped-on, and frustrated because no matter what you say or do, they continue in their self-defeating behaviors... and then return to you so you can listen as they whine on about how life ain't fair and everyone's working against them.
People-users and manipulators: These people are so adept at getting other people to take responsibility for them and their actions that their victims typically don't realize they're being sucked dry of energy until they're dragged down to the ground, gasping for breath. If you find yourself repeatedly doing work that's the responsibility of someone else or constantly "loaning" someone money or your car, you're being sucked dry by an Energy Vampire.
Drama Kings and Queens, crazy-makers, and others of that ilk: This type of Energy Vampire enlarges the reality of current events in their life until the event becomes a major trauma or catastrophe, thus creating small disturbances of energy. As they share with you their story and the accompanying emotions, which have been blown into monster-size proportions, the energy of your emotional reaction fuels the energy disturbance, growing it larger and more intense. When these Energy Vampires have filled themselves up on the energy of your emotions, they happily go away, leaving you drained and exhausted.

It's important to note that most people aren't Energy Vampires all the time. Like the blood-sucking vampires of fiction, Energy Vampires typically only appear on occasion. Moreover, anyone - even you - can be an Energy Vampire if the circumstances are just right.
How can you protect yourself from an Energy Vampire... or from becoming one?
Once you've identified the person and/or behavior you've got the upper hand. Now all you need do is to activate the almost magical power of your personal boundary protection.
There are four steps to using a personal boundary:
1. Become aware of the boundary violation. Recognizing the behaviors of Energy Vampires will aid you greatly to easily identify them so you can take further steps to protect yourself from their energy-sucking habits.
2. Inform the violator of your boundary. Believe it or not, most Energy Vampires don't actually realize that their behavior is detrimental to others. The truth is, most people think that everyone thinks the way they do. Be prepared for surprise when you inform your Energy Vampire that their behavior is not acceptable to you.
3. Ask for compliance. The manner in which you deliver your boundary to a violator has great impact on how it's received and, thus, the chances of its success. Having the language beforehand will make you more comfortable and confident when you're stating your boundary. Because most Energy Vampire behavior is habitual, you have the advantage of being able to prepare your boundary language in advance. Practice saying it until you can state your boundary calmly, without being angry, defensive, or nervous. You'll get better results.
4. Thank them for their compliance. You might think that thanking an Energy Vampire for their compliance isn't very important, yet it's a very vital part that contributes to the successful results of your boundary enforcement. Our brains are programmed to assume that when we hear "Thank you", it's as an acknowledgement of an act that's already happened. You say "Thank you" for a gift or a compliment after you've received it. When you say "Thank you" in advance of getting compliance to your boundary, you set up the thought in the other person's mind that it's already a done deal. This adds greatly to the chances of you actually getting compliance.
Finally, after you've delivered your personal boundary to your Energy Vampire, the following is extremely important to remember:

Do not justify, rationalize, or apologize for your boundary.
Do not open it up to debate or negotiation.
Do not fill in any stunned silences with an explanation.

Any of these actions will diffuse the power of your boundary and render it worthless. Simply state your boundary, ask for compliance, thank the person, and move on.
People who violate your boundaries drain your energy with their behavior. When you uphold your personal boundaries, these people will either stop their behavior or they'll go away. Energy Vampires no longer want to be in your presence when you won't allow them to play their energy-sucking games.
Consequently, as you practice upholding your personal boundaries you'll have more energy.

Kathy Wilson helps people get their life unstuck using a multi-faceted approach. She and her clients utilize life coaching, spiritual consulting, NLP, vibrational healing, and teaching... whatever is in her client's highest and best interests. She's a Certified Professional Coach, spiritual teacher, Reiki master, vibrational healer, and author of An Inner Journey: Living Your Life Purpose. For information about her products, services, and classes, visit her website: http://www.under-one-roof.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathy_Wilson

The Fifth Language

2011-07-26T00:38:00.001+01:00

By Kathy Wilson

Once upon a time many years ago, I was working through exercises in the book, The Artist's Way. One of the most powerful of these is The Artist's Date, a weekly splurge of absolute fun and creativity with no expectations of results or productivity.
For this particular date I had chosen to take myself and my camera up into the Olympic Mountains to photograph a beautiful little rivulet that cascaded down the mountainside. It was a beautiful sunny day in early Spring with dibs and dabs of snow still lying around at the lower elevations. This snow was the type known as "corn snow" by those who spend lots of time in the upper altitudes of our mountains. It's granular, made so by numerous thaw/freeze cycles and would add extra sparkle to my photos.
I began my photographic sojourn just footsteps from where I parked my truck on a logging road. Every step up the mountainside brought new images of delicate waterfalls framed by crusty, glistening snow.
It was when I was about a quarter mile up the mountain when a single word suddenly came screaming into my head: COUGAR! I glanced around and saw none, so pooh-poohed the incident. However, as I continued upward a sensation of unusual wariness came over me and I began to feel ill-at-ease. The word "cougar" kept repeating itself in my mind. The further I went upward, the stronger this whole experience became. Finally, it got so strong I was almost into a full-blown fear.
At this point my Reptilian Brain kicked into gear and I chose "flight" as the best option. Quickly I made my way back down the mountainside, noticing that the sensation of fear lessened with each step. When I was back at the logging road the feeling had completely diminished.
Not willing to quit my Artist's Date so quickly, I decided that if I stayed on the logging road I'd be perfectly safe. So I walked up the road to a bend where I knew there were beautiful mountain vistas. After happily taking several photos, I turned to go back to my truck, and glanced down at the snow and ice-packed ruts in the road by my feet. There were BIG CAT PRINTS in the snow just a few feet behind where I had been standing. There were granules of snow in the bottoms of the prints, indicating that the cat had been there recently. Very recently. Like minutes or even seconds. Otherwise the warm sun would have melted the granules. YIKES!
I walked very quickly back to my truck, jumped in, slammed the doors and punched the door locks down. As soon as I stopped shaking, I drove home.
That cougar sent me it's warning message via the Fifth Language.
You're familiar with the other four:

the spoken word
the written word
body language
images and pictures

The Fifth Language is sometimes called "telepathy". Although telepathy is considered a means of transmitting words through some mysterious mental process, there's actually much more to it.
Because the Fifth Language is of a much higher and more subtle vibration than sound or physical means of communication, it can include other additional higher vibrational energies. Communication via the Fifth Language can also carry the energy of emotions and inner visions. These energies fill the aura, or energy field that surrounds the person... or the animal. When another enters this energy field, they become the recipients of those energies.
For example, the message I received from that cougar included the emotion of fear plus the image of her being very fierce and frighteningly dangerous. She was using her aura as the medium to transmit her warning to me and any others who might encroach on her territory. Sort of like a force field.
Since that experience, I've had other similar experiences with animals in the wild and have learned to "turn on" my receiver before I enter their world. By doing so, I'm fully aware other's energies so I don't blunder into an animal's territory and endanger myself.
This practice also allows me to sense and see animals that other people aren't aware of. For example, at one point on one walk in a park along a river, I sensed deer. I stopped and looked around. There, just a few feet from the trail was a beautiful doe. None of the other people on the trail noticed her. They were walking right by her, oblivious to her presence, their Fifth Language communicators turned off.
The Fifth Language also serves to give greater awareness and valuable information in any situation, anywhere. Not just in the wild.
As you go about your day, notice how you feel before you talk to someone, go into a meeting, enter a building, or walk into a different room. Then after you enter the energy of that place or person, notice how you feel and what your thoughts are about. The information that comes from the Fifth Language can serve you well... if you tune into it.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathy_Wilson

No Envy

2011-07-26T00:22:00.001+01:00

By Joshua Clayton

Envy may be a genuine objective sin, but it is worse than that. It is the cause of all slavery, horrors, wars, miseries, poverty, fear, want, and every other horribly negative emotion ever felt. So, it comes down to this unequivocally and realistically consciously: No envy. I will give the understanding of how I deal with the emotion of envy, and I would like to say that I have the potential to feel envy like anyone else, but no matter how much conscious effort it takes, I get past it. It is a three step process. Here is how. Look at everything rationally, first of all. Second, with all your competing and getting, get understanding, it is a better weapon than "keeping up with others" and all of that kind of thing. Finally, to genuinely win for yourself, you must concentrate on living your own life and existence the best you possibly can.
Listen, I never said I was perfect, and I never said I do not have those pangs sometimes. But, no matter what, I follow those three steps I have just outlined in the most logically honest with myself way that I can. Sure, like I said in another article, perfection is achievable, but it has to be evolved to. It is a dynamic process and not a static condition of, "I made it and that is it." Sure, real winning is also a dynamically honest process, while real losing is a static condition until there is a desire to genuinely leave that condition, unequivocally and realistically. When you think about it, reality is more than just desire though, it is personal action with the use of personal power for each person. Envy cannot help with that process at all. Life and existence are as good as we make it, what we put in, we get out of it.
Now sure, I could make this whole thing more complex than three steps. But envy is a simple emotion that we have "complex" justifications for which are never valid in objective reality with all things achievable. That is the problem, and those three steps are the simple solution. Sure, the solution may not seem perfect in a way, but they are when applied correctly and with honesty to purpose. Reality is naturally productive, only that which is not reality is destructive and envious. For when you think about it, even the nature of the universe is abundant, and even wasteful at times, that is a reality. That which is not reality is the apparent lack in the midst of plenty and ever more somehow being produced through the consistent expansion of nature. So, what does this have to do with envy? I am proving objectively that there is never a reason to envy or fear especially when the three steps above are followed to the letter with effort, honesty and loyalty to reality. For those potential pangs of envy can be risen above and not wallowed in through the three steps I have just mentioned: Look at everything rationally, first of all. Second, with all your competing and getting, get understanding, it is a better weapon than "keeping up with others" and all of that kind of thing. Finally, to genuinely win for yourself, you must concentrate on living your own life and existence the best you possibly can. Sure, perfection is achievable, but it takes effort, honesty and a dynamic process that includes a loyalty to reality. Reality is where it starts and where it ends, what we do with it is our sole responsibility.

My name is Joshua Clayton, I am a freelance writer based in Inglewood, California. I also write under a few pen-names and aliases, but Joshua Clayton is my real name, and I write by that for the most part now. I am a philosophical writer and objective thinker and honest action taker.
I also work at a senior center in Gardena, California as my day job, among other things, but primarily I am a writer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_Clayton

What I Am Banking On

2011-07-26T00:20:00.001+01:00

By Joshua Clayton

The best we can all hope for is the goal we really want to achieve, the achievement of what will make us genuinely happy, no matter what it is. To create our estimation of a winner is the genuine key for happiness for anyone. Indeed, to win is what we all bank on when we go out of the gate. But only the "tortoises" win over the "rabbits" every time. Consistency and persistence make a winner, not so much talent, the breaks, good family history and all of that.
What you can take to the bank to create a genuine winner is the "grits and sweat" of it all or the persistence and consistency to make that winner. Some of the greatest people in history are not afraid of initial failure and seeming loss once in a while as does real winning come in work clothes most of the time. As does the "slow, pathetic" tortoise win over the "fast, exciting, talented" rabbit every time in the old tale of the foot race between them. Indeed, persistence is "grits" in my estimation and consistency is perspiration no matter how you look at it. But when the victory is permanent, it is well worth it. When it is something silly, it is not worth it. Gauge for yourself which it is.
The productive use of the mind is what is required for real winning. Physical force in winning without productive use of the mind and consciousness is competitive, not creative and never permanent winning in any way. Creative winning utilizes the mind productively in every genuine way and sense that counts. There is no sunshine or happiness in rank competitiveness over genuine creativity when thought about fully rationally without worthless illusions.
So banking on the creative and rationally spiritual is always better than banking on the gross physical and competitive. After all, through all that I advocate here, success is genuinely possible. Through what I do not advocate, failure is assured. So, be creative a few hours past quitting time, you will be surprised at the benefits. A little humor there. But seriously, power comes to the person that applies the creative secret of success I just mentioned. Do not just look in the direction of power, move in the direction of power and power you will have within and outside of yourself, in that order. Come to your own rescue, no one else is unless you move yourself in the direction of power.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_Clayton

Within Your Means As Well As Within Mine, The Genuine Generation Of Power

2011-07-26T00:18:00.001+01:00

By Joshua Clayton

Genuine power is generated through patience, understanding and tolerance. It cannot be generated any other way, considering the nature of life and existence with its seeming imperfections. It can be near perfect at best, and totally imperfect at worst. But, make not a single mistake, the genuine generation of power is always possible through this seeming imperfection and near perfection, I will explain how. The famed inventor Thomas Alva Edison said that "success comes always in work clothes and not evening clothes." A friend of mine said that genuine success comes "like a thief in the night." I agree with all this, although it has to be explained less colloquially. Success mostly comes when that "final" failure is reached. I put the word final in quotes because when you quit, there is no chance for success. If you do not quit without any matter to what may happen before the genuine success and have total tolerance for what may happen before the success and have patience with it all and generate understanding, then good and great things happen because of that genuine persistence. Anything is possible through this reality.
Yes, I am saying that through work, although it will take a lot of work, a small weakling can become a strong and heavy football player, although it will take a lot of consistent work, of course. My point with that example is, anything through work, persistence and genuine, smart perseverance is possible. Obstacles make stronger that which can overcome them, like a weak blacksmith can become a strong blacksmith through consistent arm resistance and strength building.
Indeed, power generation is the law, allowing weakness is the genuine exception. As Mark Spitz the Olympic Swimmer said, "we all love to win, but who loves to train." The person that really wants what they want must "love to train." If they do not, they do not really want what they do want. It all starts with a goal and ends with achievement, sure, but there is all the persistence and work in between that goal and achievement, and yes, temporary failure before the final success and all of that achievement.
I will tell you reality and nothing but reality. That is the ultimate mercy and love I can bestow onto you or anyone. Think about it, most people say other than the reality of the situation. This is all the reality of what it comes down to when it comes to success, and nothing else matters. If anything else mattered other than the beginning, the process, the end and the total reality which it all comes down to, I would have kept this article and typed nonsense about, "it is so easy" and "all you have to do." But, I can be nothing but realistic.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_Clayton

Why Commitment Is So Important to Success

2011-07-24T19:06:00.001+01:00

By Susan Leigh

Success means different things to different people. For some it is about personal achievement, measurable financial benefits, for others it means being settled in a relationship, having a family and good personal relationships. Whatever success means to each person it requires effort and commitment to attain and maintain that desired ongoing level of success.

Jack Nicklaus was questioned about his good fortune and the luck that had come his way, enabling him to become a successful golfer. His much quoted reply was that the more he practiced the luckier he became! That philosophy applies in every area of life. Effort, hard work and commitment demonstrate desire, determination and focus, all of which sustain us in times of hardship or when things don't go quite to plan.
Commitment requires the ability to see the big picture, to be clear about the desired outcome and to focus on that as the important, life-enhancing goal.

Why commitment is so important to business success:
- Training may be required and this can necessitate time, money and effort being invested to gain the relevant knowledge. Planning ahead can include commitment to learning additional skills and competencies, so that we fully understand our business. This can result in us stretching ourselves further than we originally envisaged and developing new and unexpected areas of expertise.
- A plan b is often a useful part of the commitment to the big picture as it allows for an alternative course of action if the original goal becomes impossible to achieve. This then results in a positive outcome being salvaged from all the effort.
Often this secondary option is in itself a valuable accomplishment, far more than would have been achieved without the original plan.
- Other people may need to be motivated and brought on board. Often their additional skills and areas of expertise can bring new thinking and energy into a project. Their commitment may suggest different ways of working, bring important contacts into the business, introduce unexpected other options.
- Family and friends are important because they are often part of the reason behind the desire for business success. They encourage our commitment. Often too, they provide support, distraction, regular food, humour. They usually know us better than anyone and are in a position to encourage us take a break, or they can motivate us to keep going if we are feeling frail or tired.

Why commitment is so important to personal success:
- Making an effort in relationships is important. Sharing each others interests and arranging time to share activities together demonstrates commitment. It can be good to keep some separate personal time but it is also important to spend time together, sharing fun, building memories and establishing a quality friendship within the relationship.
- Trying to understand the other persons point of view can require patience and tolerance. We may be incredulous that the other person cannot see things our way. Committing to understand why they feel the way they do can result in positive insights, understanding and increased trust in each other and the relationship.
- Communication is the cornerstone to any relationship's success, whether it be with friends, family or a special partner. Discussing problems and difficulties can be awkward or painful but it is important to be able to tell each other how you feel, especially when hurt and upset are involved. When there is a commitment to a relationship it follows that there is a desire to make it work. Communicating is an important part of its success.
Success in any area of life requires effort and focus. Many people want the different areas of their life to do well so that they can be happy and satisfied. Adopting a balanced approach to life entails being alert to others, communicating well and being flexible rather than too rigid in outlook.

Susan Leigh is a Counsellor and Hypnotherapist who works with stressed individuals to promote confidence and self belief, couples in crisis to help improve communications and understanding and with business clients to support the health and motivation levels of individuals and teams.
Further help, advice and articles are available.
For more information see http://www.lifestyletherapy.net/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Leigh

The Many Faces of Time Management

2011-07-24T18:45:00.001+01:00

By Robert Boroff

What do you do with your free time? This question is currently leaving some sociologists a bit perplexed as Americans' time management habits have begun to change. There has been a shift from exercise and education to entertainment and sleep. So what does this shift mean and should you hop on the band wagon?

According to the 2010 American Time Use survey released by the US Labor Department people are working less, watching more television and sleeping more. It is of course not surprising that American's are working less seeing as unemployment rates have sky rocketed. Many were hoping that faced with the extra time American's would spend more time on productive activities such as volunteering and exercising but that has not been the case. In addition to spending about a quarter of their time in front of the television American's also spend a lot of time in front of the computer. Of course for many of us time in front of the computer is key to doing our jobs well but many American's are using their computer for leisurely activities in an increasing amount. While the increase in amount of time dedicated to sleep is probably a positive change as sleep promotes good health, the amount of time spent on unproductive activities is of course a concerning trend. To lead a meaningful life you have to fill your time with productive activities. So how can you avoid the trend that seems to be plaguing the nation?
Here are some tips for those of you who are currently employed:
Gain control of your email. Email has become a key way of communication both in and out of the workplace but it can also be a big consumer of time. When you sit down to deal with your email, only address each email once, be sure to read and appropriately respond to each email all in the same sitting otherwise it'll just clog up your to do list. You should also limit yourself to only check your email at certain times of the day. This will prevent you from constantly going online to check emails, which can lead to further distractions in your day.
Give yourself some boundaries. Stay logged off of Facebook and email until you accomplish the tasks in front of you. Facebook and other online sites can be rather addicting and you may find that they consume too much of your time in unproductive ways. Self-control can be difficult but if you create boundaries it can be a bit easier to adhere to.
Figure out what routine works best for you and set your schedule around that. Find which work patterns lead to the most productive work days for you, whether that be taking an hour break for lunch everyday or working straight through the day. Be sure to often re-evaluate your schedule as your workday habits are likely to continually change.
Don't be afraid to say no. It's easy to take on too much but that can lead to you feeling overwhelmed and thus being less productive. Establish a balance between work and leisure in your life and don't let the scales get too far tipped in one direction.
For those of you who are unemployed:
Get yourself into a productive schedule. It's hard to stay motivated when you're not employed and having a difficult time finding a new job but if you create a busy schedule you're less likely to feel like your life is lacking in meaning which may fend of depression and loneliness.
Make time for exercise and volunteering. These activities will make you feel happy and healthy and will prevent you from spending too much time in front of the television or computer. They'll also help you to give back to your community and keep you social.
In summary, it is important that even in difficult times we give ourselves boundaries and make the most of our everyday lives. Think about what you want your life to be filled with and consider if the most recent American trend applies to you.

Robert Boroff Executive Profile Managing Director Reaction Search International

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Boroff

Vitamins for Memory: Why You Need a Supplement

2011-07-24T16:26:00.001+01:00

By Rob D. Schumann

If you have had any trouble remembering where you parked the car or if you have gotten to a store and forgotten why you drove all the way there, you no doubt have already experienced some of the frustration that comes with memory loss. The fact is that memory loss is a common and generally natural part of aging. The brain simply loses some of its power as we get older, and a consequence of an aging brain is diminished memory, a general foggy feeling from time to time, and a decrease in mental clarity and the ability to focus. If this is happening to you, you will be pleased to know that vitamins for memory can help you regain your edge. Here are a few reasons why you need to take such a supplement:

Frustration and Stress. Nobody wants to live with the almost daily feelings of frustration and stress that are common when forgetfulness becomes a regular routine. Vitamins for memory work to increase memory power and mental alertness by restoring your brain to a healthy status that it was at just a few years ago. You will once again be able to remember both minor and major details, and you will have a newfound clarity and alertness, too. This can truly take the edge off of your frustration and cut down on your stress levels in significant ways.

Improve Your Personal Life. Your friends and family are no doubt caring, understanding individuals, and some of these people who are more advanced in their years may have similar forgetfulness issues as you have. However, nobody wants to feel as though friends and family are pitying them, or like the people closest to them think they are losing their mind. They may not say such words out loud, but when people look at you during your moments of forgetfulness, you can see the worry and concern on their faces. Supplements for brain power and memory truly can make these episodes far less frequent and less severe when they do happen, and this can drastically improve your personal life.

Improve Your Health. The fact is that you are having these times of forgetfulness, mental fogginess, and more because your health is not at a level that it should be at. Vitamins for memory provide you with a safe and natural way to boost your health. You don't have to worry about pumping your body full of unnatural chemicals or products that have the potential to cause more damage than the benefit they provide to you.

As you can see, vitamins for the memory truly do have the power to change your life in some incredible ways. You do not have to suffer through living with the symptoms that are associated with a decrease in brain power and memory loss any longer. There is a safe, natural solution to your issue, and you simply need to take advantage of it today to start seeing the incredible results. Within days, you can be living with mental clarity, improved memory and sharpened focus.

Rob Schumann is a writer and researcher on products for households such as vitamins for memory. Save time and money by getting a FREE in-depth review of this product, including discounts and best prices, at this blog: brainsupplementtips.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_D._Schumann

Depression - Exploring Three Popular Depression Treatment Options

2011-07-24T16:23:00.002+01:00

By Robert D Hawkins

With over 25 million men and women facing the daily challenges associated with depression it comes as no surprise that many have tried antidepressant medications. That said, not everyone suffering from depression chooses these harsh medications opting instead for safer alternatives such as counseling, light therapy, mind body solutions (yoga, meditation), and/ or herbal and homeopathic remedies.

Antidepressant pharmaceutical solutions are more widely used to treat serious depression than mild depression and come in a number of different types, all of which attack depression in a slightly different way. One of the most often prescribed varieties of prescription medication for depression are SSRIs, which is short for serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These types of medication target the brain chemical serotonin which is an essential component for maintaining a healthy frame of mind. Four commonly prescribed SSRIs are Paxil, Prozac, Luvox, and Zoloft.

Another type of antidepressant regularly prescribed are MAOIs, which is short for monoamine oxidase inhibitors. MAOIs are usually for those whose symptoms are not typical or have not responded as expected to other forms of treatment. Most medical professions use MAOIs only as a secondary treatment option. MAOIs work by blocking the action of a chemical substance in the nervous system called monoamine oxidase. Monoamine oxidase is the substance that breaks down brain chemical messengers such as serotonin and norepinephrine that play a key role in regulating mood. The idea is that by reducing the amount of monoamine oxidase in the brain chemical balance will be restored thus improving mood. A couple of MAOIs are Nardil and Parnate.

While antidepressant prescription medications like those listed above work well for some they also have the potential to produce a number of unwanted side effects including nausea, sexual dysfunction, headaches, and upset stomach. MAOIs also carry the really scary additional warning of triggering suicidal thoughts. This is a particularly worrisome symptom that seems to be more prevalent in young patients.

Diet must also be monitored carefully by those taking MAOIs. Eating the wrong foods or drinking the wrong beverages can trigger dangerous reactions such as sudden spikes in blood pressure and an elevated heart rate. Examples of foods and beverages should be avoided are chocolate, very ripe fruit, aged cheese, sauerkraut, beer, and wine.

Many have become disenchanted with the side effects and diet restrictions associated with antidepressant medications opting instead for safer more natural solutions. What you may be surprised to learn is that in some parts of the world certain natural remedies have produced such good results that they actually outsell prescription medications.

St. John's Wort, for example, is very popular in Germany outselling many major antidepressants. This herb is believed to boost serotonin levels in the brain while limiting serotonin absorption naturally improving mood and reducing feelings of depression.

While St. John's Worth is perhaps the best known natural solution for depression there are other herbs which have long been associated with regulating mood and supporting general wellness. This list would include herbs like passion flower, kava kava, and ginkgo biloba.

While there is no doubt depression suffers of all ages are embracing the idea of safely and effectively treating their symptoms with natural remedies it is still important to remember that depression is a very serious condition that generally requires the help of medical professional. This is especially true when beginning or ending any treatment plan.

If after weighing all the options you have come to the conclusion that treating depression naturally is right for you keep in mind natural solutions do take time to work so a certain amount of patience and perseverance will be required in order to achieve the anticipated results.

Robert D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic consumer advocate for natural health and natural living with over 10 years experience in the field. To learn more about depression along with information about safe and effective herbal and homeopathic depression remedies Click Here

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_D_Hawkins

What Is Depression? Getting to the Root of Depression

2011-07-24T16:21:00.001+01:00

By Caroline Ley

Often clients will come through the door after suffering from depression for a large proportion of their adult lives. As we explore the depression and where the depression may have come from, many questions are thrown up.

Every thought, feeling and emotion arises for a reason and depression is no different. If a client can ask themselves what is depression? and work out the meaning of their depression, I believe they will be one step closer to coming to terms with the depression and subsequently will start to come through it.

It is important for a person to reflect on why they do what they do, why they think the way they think and why they feel the way they feel.

Useful questions to ask when experiencing a depressive episode are:

Where are the feelings coming from within me?
What are these feelings saying to me?
Where do my reactions come from?
What part of me is being triggered right now?

It can be useful within the therapeutic setting, for the client to question why they are feeling depressed at this point in time and to question what the depression is attempting to change in their life.

A person experiencing a depressive episode will often withdraw from their work, family and friends. Yet, depression can be functional and often serves a very important purpose. The person will retreat into solitude; give up their daily routines and interests whilst spending hours thinking about the depression. Days will go by as they lose themselves in the darkness and become consumed by their thoughts.

In this place, which at first may feel hopeless, a person can begin to ponder the deeper questions in life, and think about how they have lived and continue to live their life. If a person can sit with the questions, explore the possibilities and begin to generate answers, they can begin to make changes to the way they live their life and life may renew itself in a whole new way. This approach to depression initiates change, as the person relates to their depression in a completely accepting and positive way.

Depression may weave in and out of a person's life, it may come as a reaction to a life event or it may always be a part of a person's make-up. Whatever the root cause of the depression, you have a choice in how you approach it, what meaning you attach to it and how you go forward with it. You may not be able to change what is but you can change your attitude towards it.

Caroline Ley is a fully qualified Psychotherapist, Counsellor & Life Coach at Transitional Therapy, London.

For further information, please visit http://www.transitionaltherapy.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caroline_Ley

Top 10 Most Common Cholesterol High Foods To Avoid

2011-07-23T16:56:00.001+01:00

By Joseph E. Smith

The tastier the food gets, the higher its chances of being high cholesterol food. This is one of the greatest ironies in life!
Cholesterol is fat that is mainly found in meat products and is necessary for the proper functioning of our hormones and cell membranes. Our bodies have been programmed to manufacture the cholesterol we need and it is not necessary to consume more. Excessive consumption of cholesterol leads to a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.
If you have just found out that you have high cholesterol and must reduce its level, then the first things you should be aware of are the foods that are high in cholesterol. By avoiding these cholesterol high foods you will not miss anything except their taste, which can be certainly substituted with something similar for your better health.
The daily recommended allowance for cholesterol consumption is 200mg. Here is a list of high cholesterol food that you should be aware of:

Egg Yolk: research shows that egg yolk has the largest amount of cholesterol than any other food with an average of 1234mg/100 gram. This means that a single egg yolk will give you 210mg of cholesterol, more than the recommended daily consumption. It may be helpful to know that it is not the egg white but the egg yolk that contributes to this.
Caviar: caviar is extremely popular among people in Northern and Eastern Europe as it comes in most of the popular bread spreads. A 100 gram serving of this cholesterol-filled food provides 588mg of cholesterol which is way more than the recommended daily amount.
Liver, Foie Gras, Pate: our liver produces the cholesterol necessary for our bodies and it comes as no surprise that the excessive consumption of liver can increase your cholesterol levels. The liver of almost any meat will contain around 564mg of cholesterol with every 100 gram. Foie Gras and Pate contain a minimum of 255mg/100 gram.
Butter: butter is greatly used in cookies, cakes, bread and vegetables. In fact, you can find butter in most of your cooking recipes. It contains a staggering 215mg of cholesterol/100 gram, which may frighten you when you realise how much you use it.
Prawns and Shrimp: a delicious shrimp platter contains approximately 195mg of cholesterol per serving. This is similar with prawns too.
Fish oil: fish has always been seen as a healthy alternative to red meat. Yet oil packed fish and the oil of fish itself contain a bit of extra cholesterol that can do a lot of harm. For example, Atlantic sardines carry 143mg of cholesterol/100 gram.
Cheese: a good source of calcium and protein, cheese is a tasty addition to almost all dishes. However, most cheeses contain around above 120mg/100 gram of cholesterol. This applies to all types whether it is Port de Salut, Fontina, Gouda, Cream Cheese, Cheddar or Gruyere.
Processed meat: a large amount of our cholesterol intake is contributed to by processed meat. This depends upon the cut used and the total amount of fat included for processing. Bratwurst and liver sausages contain around 159mg/100 gram while duck and lamb also have high levels.
Shellfish: though Mussels, Clams and Oysters may seem relishing, they contain high levels of cholesterol up to 110mg/100 grams.
Fast food breakfast: fast food breakfast is packed with cholesterol as it often comprises egg, ham, sausages and cheese biscuits. This can be a dangerous breakfast as noted by the scary amounts of cholesterol above.

A healthy diet avoiding high cholesterol foods will surely lead to a lower cholesterol level and a healthier you. Be sure to avoid the food in the list above if you suffer from high cholesterol.

Want to learn more about cholesterol high foods? Visit my website at http://www.lowercholesterolmadeeasy.com for helpful tips and information on reducing cholesterol.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_E._Smith

You Are Not What You Eat - You Are What You Absorb (III)

2011-07-23T16:52:00.001+01:00

By Delia McCabe

Eating Well Isn't Enough - You Also Have To Digest, Absorb And Eliminate (III) Well For Optimal Health

The taboo subject
No one wants to talk about this aspect of health, but it is one of the most important aspects of keeping yourself healthy.
One of the best ways to assess whether your digestive system is getting rid of waste efficiently is to look at your 'transit time.' Although this sounds like a ghastly task, it's actually quite simple, and although you won't be discussing this procedure at your next dinner party, it can be extremely helpful in assessing whether your digestive system needs some help in the last step of the digestive process.
Eat a whole beetroot, or use some charcoal tablets, and then check to see when you see the result of their ingestion, in the toilet bowl. Eating sweet corn is also a reliable method, however seeing whole kernels is a sure sign that you're not chewing your food properly.
If you see the results of the charcoal tablets or beetroot consumption, in less than 12 hours, then you may not be absorbing all the nutrients from your food, because it's moving through too quickly.
If it's more than 24 hours before you see the results of your 'colorful' consumption, then you know that the waste from your food is spending too long in your digestive system, and this increases your chances of getting any colon-related diseases.
This means that you are not eating enough fibre rich foods, drinking enough water and maybe not exercising enough, which helps your body move waste through your colon and into your bowel.

Another important role for plants in your diet
A primarily plant based diet is very helpful in keeping your digestive system working well, increasing elimination and helping to control appetite, as well as evening out your blood glucose levels.
Consuming primarily animal based foods, on the other hand, increases the transit time, due to increased digestion time required, therefore increasing the possibility of toxic breakdown compounds, and animal products are also the primary source of intestinal infections. This is simply because animal products contain no fibre.
The fibre content of natural, plant based, mostly raw produce, is beneficial in all the stages of food assimilation, from digestion, to absorption and elimination because it has so many different roles to play.
Fibre is that part of a plant that is indigestible, which means that your body can't break it down completely. Soluble fibre, is capable of being a prebiotic, proving nutrients for probiotics, the friendly bacteria that we need. It also absorbs water, helping to keep waste material moving through the digestive tract, collecting toxins and wastes as it moves along. Soluble fibre also helps to lower cholesterol.

Two different kinds of fibre from the plant kingdom
Legumes, psyllium seed husks, root vegetables, oats, rye, broccoli, artichokes, as well as prunes, berries, bananas, pears and apples, are all good sources of soluble fibre.
Insoluble fibre, also absorbs water, and helps to soften and bulk the stool up, making elimination easier. By doing this it also slows down the release of glucose and other sugars, helping to control appetite, and therefore weight gain, as well as decreasing transit time, avoiding re-absorption of old hormones and cholesterol which can occur if the stool isn't eliminated as soon as it's ready to leave the body. It can also act like a broom, sweeping up toxins that are in the colon, removing them from the body, avoiding the harm that they can cause.
Insoluble fibre is found in celery, avocados, flax and other seeds, as well as nuts, whole grains, potato skin, as well as cauliflower, and green beans.
Don't add wheat bran to your diet, due to the phytates it contains, which inhibit nutrient absorption.
Rather, obtain your fibre from legumes, vegetables, either raw or very lightly cooked, fruits and seeds, as well as non-gluten grains. Cooking destroys most fibre and enzymes, so enjoy your veggies as crunchy as possible, remembering to chew them very well.

Another reason to limit processed foods
Of course the consumption of processed, shelf-stable food will lead to digestion, absorption and elimination problems, as there are not enough nutrients to support these processes, and because they are devoid of fibre, which is essential to keep your food and waste moving through your digestive system. They also contain vast quantities of sugars, which interfere with absorption, and many additives, which have further negative effects.
When your body is capable of eliminating the waste products from the food you eat, it will definitely be healthier, and it can only do that effectively if your food choices are as close to nature as possible, with minimum processing.

Delia McCabe is a Nutritional Neuroscience Researcher. She has a Masters degree in Psychology and has been doing research for over ten years. Her specific area of interest is Essential Fatty Acids and how they effect brain and general health. She has discovered that many chronic illnesses and mental health problems can be traced back to a lack of Essential Fats. Find out if you are deficient by doing the quick assessment at http://www.deliahealth.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Delia_McCabe

You Are Not What You Eat - You Are What You Absorb (II)

2011-07-23T16:49:00.001+01:00

By Delia McCabe

Eating well isn't enough - you also have to digest, absorb (II) and eliminate well for optimal healt

You've read about the importance of digestion, so its time to look at the next step in the process of turning your food into you.
Absorption After you've digested your food, it doesn't simply pass through the small intestine into your blood stream, and then into your cells. It's a little more complicated.
The surface area of your small intestine is larger than a tennis court, and the active cells that line it are replaced every 4 days. The health of the cells will determine their ability to absorb the nutrients from your digested food, as well as reject toxins that you don't need.
Your small intestine absorbs different nutrients at different places on it's vast surface area, with each place requiring different conditions to optimize this absorption.
B vitamins, minerals and fats are absorbed when the stomach acid environment in just right, and B12 is absorbed when there's enough intrinsic factor, which is also dependent on enough stomach acid. Various bacteria and fibre are also required to increase and maximize absorption.

Some foods irritate your gut
Unfortunately, the villi, the tiny protrusions that increase the surface area of the small intestine are very sensitive, and easily damaged by specific foods, such as fried foods, chillies, vinegar and other irritating substances such as caffeine, as well as compounds that can cause allergies, such as gluten and dairy, and alcohol, as well as various types of infections.
Luckily the cells that make up the villi are some of the most easily regenerated cells in the body, so if you know how to heal them, you can help absorption immensely. Vitamin A, zinc, glutamine and butyric acid are some of these important healing compounds.
Most nutrients have to be carried across the intestinal wall, into the blood stream, to be used by the body, and only a few pass through via diffusion. Of course nutrients are once again required to make this process efficient, so again a vicious cycle will occur if these nutrients can't be produced due to lack of absorption. Amino acids and glucose need active transportation across the intestinal wall, and are therefore the ones most frequently malabsorbed.

Foods that interfere with absorption
Preparing the foods for absorption occurs with the help of chewing properly, producing the right digestive enzymes and avoiding irritating substances, as you saw in part one. However, there are certain substances in food that can inhibit absorption or even compete with each other for absorption, in so doing reducing the nutrient content of the foods. These compounds will interfere with absorption and therefore reduce nutrient content:

Methylxanthines in coffee, tea and cocoa
Phytates in wheat
Oxalates in spinach in rhubarb
Digestive tract irritants, such as alcohol, antibiotics, painkillers, chillies and caffeine

If you suspect that you are not absorbing the nutrients from your food, you can request a stool analysis from your healthcare provider, which will highlight what your body isn't absorbing. An intestinal permeability test is also a good indicator of what isn't being absorbed, as it will indicate what the size of food molecules are that are passing through your digestive wall.

Why you need the right bacteria in your gut
Not all bacteria are bad - in fact without friendly bacteria in your gut, you wouldn't be able to maintain optimal health. You have about 100 trillion bacteria in your digestive tract, most being present in your colon.
They make some vitamins, digest fibre and also help you fight unfriendly bacteria, viruses and fungi. They form an integral part of digestive health, and up to 2kg of your body weight is made up of these special bacteria.
The good bacteria are called 'probiotics' or intestinal flora. There are many different kinds, but their main aims are to help fight infection by building your immunity, make certain vitamins, promote good bacteria, repair and help maintain digestive tract health, reduce inflammation as well as allergic inflammatory responses.
Fermented foods contain the friendly bacteria, so consuming unsweetened yoghurt, sauerkraut, miso and sourdough bread, if you can tolerate gluten, are some of the foods that can help to maintain these intestinal helpers.
Prebiotics are foods that feed the probiotics, keeping them healthy, and they are found in bananas, fruit, garlic, and artichokes as well as barley, onions and soybeans.
A plant-based diet will naturally provide the requirements for feeding and maintaining these important bacteria.
If your digestive system is in need of supplementing with probiotics, due to the heavy use of antibiotics, then you need to choose a supplement that has a combination of beneficial bacteria, that has been kept refrigerated.
When they come into contact with moisture, such as they will in your stomach, they will come back to life, and multiply rapidly. Follow the directions, but be aware that you may need more than the recommended dosage if your digestive tract is severely depleted of these friendly helpers, so get advise from your health care provider if you are in any doubt.

Once again stress plays a negative role in your gut
Of course stress will also influence the absorption of your food negatively, as once again, your body is more interested in dealing with what it perceives as a threat to its survival, than absorbing nutrients. It's therefore important that you eat when you are in a calm frame of mind, as the way that you feel while eating will influence how that food reacts in your body.
The optimal absorption of nutrients is critical for optimal health, as you are made up of the foods that you digest and absorb. Every single aspect of your health will suffer if your foods aren't digested and then absorbed efficiently.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Delia_McCabe

You Are Not What You Eat - You Are What You Absorb (I)

2011-07-23T16:47:00.001+01:00

By Delia McCabe

Eating Well Isn't Enough - You Also Have To Digest (I), Absorb And Eliminate Well For Optimal Health

You are not what you eat! When you hear the saying 'you are what you eat' you need to remember that's only true if you are digesting and absorbing your food. Otherwise you can be eating the best food, even sourcing specific foods for their nutritive value, but wasting a lot of time and money, because your digestive system isn't delivering these nutrients to your blood stream.
Your digestive process starts in your mouth, using your teeth to grind your food up, releasing enzymes, tiny compounds that change the structure of your food, which starts the process of digestion. Before your food can be used, it has to be broken down, and digested, and your teeth start the process.
The saliva that is released into your mouth when you start chewing helps to break food down, as well as helping to lubricate the food, so that its easy to swallow.
The food then finds its way into your stomach, where digestive juices break the food down into smaller components, before it moves off into the small intestine, where the liver and pancreas provide digestive juices too, enabling the further break down of nutrients. Absorption of these nutrients occurs here too.

Tiny compounds with an important task
Digestive enzymes form a very important part of the digestive process, as they help to break down the nutrients into smaller components. For example, when eating carbohydrates, the digestive enzyme ptyalin is released in your mouth, via saliva, to break down the carbohydrates. The more you chew the better the process of digestion can begin.
These digestive enzymes are released at different stages along the digestive process, so if you don't have enough of them, your food will not be broken down into the smaller components that contain the nutrients you need.
Although carbohydrate digestion starts in your mouth, proteins get digested in your stomach, using hydrochloric acid and an enzyme called pepsinogen, which, when combined, produce a powerful enzyme called pepsin, which is capable of breaking protein down into smaller components, and eventually into amino acids, through enzymes called proteases.

Fats and oils are digested differently
Fats and oils have to be digested in a completely different way, because they are not water-soluble as carbohydrates and proteins are. As fat repels water, the same water-soluble enzymes can't digest it.
Your liver produces bile, which is stored in the gall bladder, and breaks the large fat pieces down into smaller pieces of fat, so that the enzyme lipase has an easier time in digesting the fat. If its not doing its job properly, you will end up feeling tired and also experience nausea after eating foods that contain fats and oils.

It is quite simple to solve indigestion
Indigestion occurs when you don't have enough of these special enzymes to break down carbohydrates, as well as proteins and fats. The result is that partially digested food ends up in the small intestine, providing food for the bacteria that live there, producing gas, bloating, and digestive pain.
If you don't have enough enzymes, instead of feeling satisfied and energized after a meal, you will feel listless and tired.
Unfortunately, if you're not digesting your food properly, your body cells cannot make the enzymes required for digestion, because they aren't getting the nutrients required to make them, so its a vicious cycle.

How raw foods can help
So, the first thing to do to remedy this situation is to supplement with digestive enzymes, as this will help your food to digest properly, giving you a chance of getting to the next stage of absorption.
The next thing you can to help your body to digest your food more efficiently, is to eat more raw foods, as they contain enzymes. Cooked foods are lacking in enzymes, so you end up needing so much more to do the job of digestion. Raw foods release enzymes when they are chewed thoroughly, so you can't get away from having to chew your food well.

Food combining and how it can be helpful
Food combining has been popular with people who have suffered from digestive complaints, because their bodies have been given a respite from trying to digest a variety of foods at the same time, because protein, carbohydrates and fats are digested differently.
However, most foods aren't exclusively either carbohydrates, protein or fat, so avoiding the combining of concentrated proteins and concentrated carbohydrates makes more sense. After all, legumes such as beans and lentils contain both protein and carbohydrates, and many cultures around the world have eaten these foods, combined with rice and other grains, without suffering from any digestive difficulties.
However, there are some pointers that you can keep in mind, to help your digestive system work more efficiently, by relying on what we know about how early man ate:

Eat concentrated proteins and concentrated carbohydrates separately - don't eat a steak with mashed potatoes
Most fruit should be eaten separately from concentrated protein and carbohydrates, as they digest very rapidly, and we would probably only have eaten fruit on an empty stomach in any case, as fruit was not available all year round, like it is today. As fruit moves through your stomach quickly, in about 30 minutes' it makes sense not to eat it with protein, which can take up to 4 or 5 hours to digest properly.
Acidic fruit, such as citrus, pineapples and berries, can be eaten with nuts, with no ill effects, while bananas, coconuts, apples and pears can be combined with carbohydrates, such as oats and millet.

Combining carbohydrates and protein can help blood glucose
However, if your digestive system is working well, adding protein to carbohydrates helps to keep blood glucose more stable, enabling even energy levels. So, eating an apple with some almonds, as a snack, for example, will be beneficial.

As you get older your stomach produces less stomach acid
Stomach acid is also an important requirement for optimal digestion, as it's required for protein digestion, and also mineral absorption, as well as being an important defense against infections, because it sterilizes the food that you eat.
Therefore a lack of stomach acid will mean indigestion from protein foods, as well as a potential for developing food allergies, as undigested protein molecules may cause difficulties in the small intestine by crossing into the blood stream and causing allergic reactions.
The production of stomach acid, also known as hydrochloric acid, declines with age, and a zinc deficiency is also responsible for a lack of this important compound, because it's required to produce stomach acid.
Bad breath, indigestion indicated by bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, are all indications of low stomach acid.
Unfortunately, stress also inhibits stomach acid production, as your body is more interested in survival than digestion.
Supplementing with a digestive enzyme containing hydrochloric acid as well as zinc can help your body produce more stomach acid.

What if you are producing too much stomach acid?
The other side of the coin is the production of too much stomach acid, and this can occur due to inflammation of the stomach wall, which happens when alcohol, tea and coffee, as well as chillies are consumed in excess. This doesn't only cause pain, it also suppresses the production of healthy, protective mucous stomach lining, which further increases sensitivity to the aggravating substances. This can eventually lead to stomach ulcers, apart from the ulcers that occur due to a bacteria, called Heliobacter pylori.
Consuming vegetable proteins instead of concentrated animal protein, can also help reduce excess stomach acid.

Cholesterol 'eliminated'
The large intestine, or colon, primarily prepares the waste material - what's left over after absorption - for elimination from the body. Although there is some absorption of nutrients in this area, its main function is to pass waste along, to the bowel, then to the rectum, using peristalsis, a consistent, set of wave- like muscular contractions. Cholesterol, dead blood cells as well as old hormones are also eliminated from the body in this way.

Eat when you are calm and chew well
If you eat on the run, not paying attention to each mouthful, you will not only end up with a pain in your stomach, if you do this regularly, but you'll also end up cheating yourself of the nutrients that are in the food.
Pay attention to what you are eating and how you are eating it, taking care to chew each mouthful until the food turns into a liquidy pulp. Also make sure you are properly awake, as being half asleep will impact your digestion in a very negative way too.
If you manage your life by squeezing food into the tiny spaces that are left over, after accomplishing all your other goals, your digestive system will eventually rebel, and ill health will be the logical result.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Delia_McCabe

Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

2011-07-23T16:40:00.001+01:00

By Jim Moustakas

If you have experienced a sudden traumatic and deeply disturbing event and the memories continue to haunt you, then you may be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Whilst for many, the dreadful memories can subside, one in three people could continue to experience the symptoms associated with this disorder for months or even years if help is not sought. Sadly, many people battle on alone, feeling weak at not being able to cope and hiding behind layers of guilt and secrecy.
Post Traumatic Stress can affect you on a physical and psychological level and although the disorder may not materialize initially until some months after the event, you may find yourself reliving the experiences over and over again. It's not uncommon to feel angry, anxious, depressed, sad, tearful, emotional, grief-stricken and even guilty but in reality, there is no reason for you to question or to judge yourself and your own experiences are highly personalized and indicative to the trauma.
Causes of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder vary and include:

Witnessing a serious accident or being involved in one.
Ongoing physical abuse or rape
Being taken hostage
Witnessing death or a violent injury
The shock of being diagnosed with a serious or life threatening illness
Losing a loved one suddenly and without warning.

The symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder include:

Violent and powerful nightmares
Memory flashbacks
Rapid or irregular heart rate, physical aches and pains, anxieties and feelings of panic
A desire to shut out the memories and to shut down all emotions
Turning to alcohol to help numb the pain
A volatile emotional state
Extreme tiredness and irritability

The effects of PTSD will not just dissipate until you face up to your demons and seek out professional help. There is no shame in seeing a counselor on a regular basis and opening up and talking about your experiences can be highly therapeutic. It can be difficult to discuss your PTSD with anyone who is close to you and who might be affected by your experiences but a professional therapist will be able to support and guide you towards recovery.
There are many options for recovery and your counselor may suggest:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Psychotherapy
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
Group therapy
Medication

Sadly, it will take time to move away from the pain and dread of your memories but don't be too hard on yourself, you are only human. Sometimes, the reality of any situation is too much for the brain to contend with and whilst you may try to switch off the sights and sounds of that event, eventually it starts bubbling to the surface as a constant reminder of the horror. The best way to deal with your condition is to embrace professional help and take a giant step forward towards controlling the symptoms of your Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and laying it to rest.

Jim Moustakas is the CEO of My Life Assistant Pty Ltd an online counseling and life coaching interactive platform. My Life Assistant provides a live 24 hour counseling or coaching service by qualified counselors, psychologists and life coaches from around the world. To get full access now please visit http://www.mylifeassistant.com/SignUp.aspx select whether you are a general user or a therapist and get started right away.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Moustakas

Depression Symptoms and Remedies

2011-07-23T16:39:00.001+01:00

By John Furnem

Considered to be the most prevalent mental disorder around the world, affecting at least 16% of the population, depression is also the primary cause of disability in the United States.
Symptoms of depression are:
o Appetite change both loss and gain. The result is either to gain weight or to lose weight.
o Body pains such as headaches and back pain that have no physical cause.
o Decrease or total loss of interests on the usual doings that s/he finds interesting before.
o Excessive guilt
o Exhaustion on physical activities including exercise, work, and walking.
o Ideas of suicide
o Irregular sleeping patters that include hypersomnia or excessive sleeping, loss of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and insomnia or lack of sleep, and difficulty of getting back to sleep with periods of disturbing dream.
o Irritability and short-temperedness
o Inability to think logically, lack of concentration on duties, and evidences of indecisiveness on things regardless of importance.
o Low self-esteem
o Lack of self-confidence
o Hopelessness and pessimism
o Anxiety attacks
o Significant decrease or loss of interests on things he or she finds pleasurable before.
o The feeling of worthlessness.
Depression remedies:
Nutritional remedies for depression
Dietary modification is said to be one of the ways to treat depression, however, it is often considered as adjunctive, since it is often ineffective of themselves. Other known nutritional remedies for depression are specific amino acids supplements and vitamins and minerals treatment.
Deficiencies in vitamins (B6, B12, and C) and minerals (Folic acid, magnesium) are said to be one of the reasons why depression occurs. Correcting these deficiencies therefore would improve patients suffering from depression.
Natural remedies for depression
Siberian Ginseng, St. John's Wort, passion flower, and Ginko Bilola are some of the popular alternative medicines that can improve patients suffering from depression. There are perfect for people who want to avoid the numerous side effects caused by other antidepressant prescription drugs. Fasting and meditation are also said to relax the spirit, thus enabling the person to calm down and regain inner vibe.

John Furnem is a dot com veteran, specializing in human resources and work psychology he has written articles and held workshops/seminars for stress relief and stress management. John writes about Depression for http://ZupaTips.com the tips and internet advice portal.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Furnem

Anxiety Attacks - What They Are And How to Stop Them

2011-07-23T16:36:00.001+01:00

By Simon X Murphy

Anxiety Attacks affect an enormous number of men and women right now planet wide and make a diminished quality lifestyle for any afflicted individuals too as well as impacting on their families. Anxiety and Panic Attacks often manifest out of the blue without provocation the very first time someone goes through one.
Anxiety and Panic Attacks are activated when a person, with previously higher-than-normal levels of stress and anxiety, experiences a peak of further pressure. These attacks are a great deal more extreme than acquiring the feeling of getting anxious or troubled that almost all people experience. Panic and Anxiety Attacks are totally scary, but thankfully they are generally not actually damaging.
Panic disorder is medically diagnosed when you have experienced at the very least two sudden panic and anxiety attacks and build up continual concern or pressure about having more challenges or modifies their habits to prevent or minimize these kinds of attacks.
As a result of the unpredictable nature of the anxiety attacks as well as the severity of the fear that surrounds them numerous sufferers begin to have low self-confidence and lowered self-esteem. Longer term anxiety attack sufferers can usually develop other anxiety related disorders over time, though this just isn't generally the case.
The attacks are merely a component of a bodily response to the perception of some sort of threat that's feared by the sufferer. They are able to happen at any time in scenarios that other people would most likely really feel, perhaps, a little worried or have a heightened awareness in such as social scenarios, public speaking engagements or just being in a crowded shopping centre.
The actual panic and anxiety attacks symptoms include shortness of breath, rapidly beating heart, perspiration, feeling faint, pins and needles shaking and several a lot more unpleasant sensations. Extra symptoms can quite from individuals.
Studies show that girls and women are most likely to withdraw from social situations and make use of medication than are guys.
These upsetting panic and anxiety attack symptoms and feelings don't need to get the better of people today.
The wider significance or symptoms are that an individual who is usually extra anxious and maybe allowing the anxiety attacks to influence on their lives is that they are able to feeling despondent, begin to withdraw, suffer sleep loss, have eating problems and commonly become somewhat much less engaged.
Worry which is overstated is a general panic and anxiety attack symptom. Fear worsens whenever we draw back from it. There are many self- support remedies for coping with stress and anxiety; not every individual who's a worrier possesses an anxiety dilemma.
Have a look at your diet habits and start looking to include things like foods which support balance blood glucose levels by way of example all varieties of berry, garlic cloves & red onion, brewer's yeast (nutritive, has got chromium that aids regulate blood sugar levels), fish, kelp, soy bean, juice of raw Jerusalem artichoke, and fresh fruit and vegetables. Yoga breathing can help in growing the supply of oxygen in the blood stream and therefore aid in restoring normalcy blocking breathlessness. Self aid anxiety therapy does exist, if you're a victim that faces terror each and every day then you want to read this article.
Persons that suffer from panic and anxiety attacks and anxiety disorder generally actually feel tired and also have a lack of vitality and may even experience pains and aches in several muscles in their body. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is essentially a specific kind of anxiety disorder. Post Traumatic Tension Disorder (PTSD): This really is a rather unique type of tension triggered when somebody goes via a seriously stressful or distressing event; people grow to be so preoccupied using the encounter that they're not able to lead a regular daily life.
Anxiety and Panic Attacks are unquestionably the our bodies 'over reaction' to pressure. The great news is that you do not have to continue to sufferer and here is actually a permanent solution to Anxiety attacks.
A great many anxiety attack sufferers arrive at a time where they ask them selves the question "how much more time will this carry on?" and if you're contemplating that dilemma then your answer is that it will go on if you do not make up your mind to face your fear.

To acquire a successful approach to how to stop anxiety attacks by dealing with your fear, in addition to a variety of methods to lower anxiety attack symptoms just click on the links right now or head to how to stop anxiety attacks.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Simon_X_Murphy

The Most Common Causes of Anxiety

2011-07-23T16:32:00.001+01:00

By Steven Handel

In this article I identify 3 of the most common forms of anxiety (including social anxiety, performance anxiety, and choice anxiety), as well as 5 of the most common causes of anxiety (including genes, health, psychology, history, and environment).

Anxiety disorders affect between 13-18% of the general population, but the truth is we all experience different forms of anxiety throughout our lives. An anxious mental state is often defined by feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness, or dread. It is often future-oriented, meaning that our anxieties are directed toward possible threats or negative experiences that haven't yet happened.In the real world, most of us experience anxiety in varying degrees depending on the situation. It isn't always a bad thing, as some anxiety can motivate us to re-plan or re-think a situation before acting. However, excessive anxiety can be crippling to a point where we can't decide, we don't take action, or we mess up when the event finally comes.

DIFFERENT FORMS OF ANXIETY
Anxiety can come in many different forms depending on what it is that triggers our feelings of fear, worry, or dread. These three types of anxiety are often the most common types discussed in modern psychology research, but there are probably other types of anxiety that don't fit so neatly in these categories (specific phobias, existential anxiety, death anxiety, etc.) Nevertheless, these are the types of anxiety I will be referring to in this post:

Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is a fear or worry about social situations. We may feel uncomfortable or avoid environments that involve large groups of people (like school, work, public speeches, high school reunions, etc.) or we may even feel uncomfortable or avoid certain kinds of 1-to-1 interactions (like job interviews, dating, interacting with a stranger for the first time, or meeting a celebrity).
Most people feel some kind of anxiety in these situations but it varies greatly from person to person. Some people may feel more comfortable in groups, while others feel more comfortable during 1-to-1 interactions. Some people may feel more comfortable talking to familiar faces, while others feel more comfortable meeting someone for the first time. It really depends on the environment and the person.

Performance Anxiety
Unlike social anxiety, performance anxiety is a fear or worry about performances, such as a student taking a final exam at school, or a musician performing on stage, or an athlete playing at a big sports game. We worry that we won't do our best, or that we will mess up or lose, and that anxiety can actually inhibit us from performing to our maximum capacity (or even performing at all, for example due to too much "stage fright").
Instead of focusing on what we need to get done to succeed, we become more focused on all the ways things that may go wrong. This can sometimes become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Our thoughts make us more uncomfortable and ill prepared, and then those thoughts lead to actions that reinforce our previous conceptions.

Choice Anxiety
Choice anxiety is an anxiety rooted in uncertainty when making decisions. The truth is that none of us can act or make a decision with full knowledge of what the consequences will be; the universe is just too complex, and our minds aren't capable of completely understanding it. Due to this, we often feel anxiety when making a big decision in our life, because we don't know if we will make the best possible choice.
Some common big decisions we need to make throughout our lives include: what college to go to, what career to pursue, who to date/marry, where to live, what kind of car to drive, etc.
We make decisions everyday and we have to face the "opportunity costs" from choosing one option over another. Some research suggests that the more options we have to choose from, the more difficult it is to make a decision. They claim that having more options leads to a higher "opportunity cost" (theoretically: the more we have to choose from, the more we miss out on), and when this opportunity cost becomes too big we can often suffer from paralysis by analysis. Paralysis by analysis inhibits us from making ANY decision because we are so lost on what the right course of action is.
I'm sure that you've experienced these kinds of anxieties through your life to varying degrees. That's good. A lot of our anxiety can be healthy and natural. However, when it starts interfering with how we want to live our lives, then it can become a problem that we need to deal with. The first step toward dealing with this problem is identifying some of the potential causes of our anxiety, then we can determine what are the best ways to treat it.

THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF ANXIETY
There are a lot of factors that can contribute to our anxiety (and our mental health more generally). In this section, I am going to discuss some of the most common causes of anxiety, and also some potential treatment options for each one. However, it's important to remember that because our anxiety can be due to such a wide array of different variables, it is often better to integrate several treatment options simultaneously.

Genes
Certain gene variants may be associated with greater levels of anxiety. We all have a different biological make-up, and sometimes individuals may experience increased levels of anxiety for no other reason but that it is embedded in their genetic code. These genes essentially cause chemical imbalances in the brain that leader to your anxiety.
Treatment options: If your anxiety is driven by your biology it may be possible to get prescribed medication from a professional psychiatrist. Beware, however, that many of these medications can have negative side effects (you may go through several different medications before finding one that works best - a good psychiatrist will help you through this process). Also beware that if your anxiety is caused by other factors than medication will only serve as a quick fix, but it won't solve the deeper issues in your life. You may need to supplement your medication with other treatments.

Health
Anxiety can also be caused due to physical inactivity and poor diet. When we don't treat our bodies right then that can often have an effect on our mental states.
If we don't eat balanced meals and get all the nutrition we need, that often means our brains aren't getting enough nutrition either. This inhibits our brains from functionally as efficiently as they could be, which could very well become a contributor to higher levels of anxiety.
Physical activity is also crucial to both our physical and mental health. Running, playing sports, going to the gym, dancing, and anything that provides exercise is a great way to relieve stress and anxiety that may build up throughout the days or weeks. It's important that we have a way to channel hormones (like adrenaline and cortisol) in positive and healthy ways, otherwise they manifest themselves as stress and anxiety.
Treatment options: If you don't already take good care of your body, you'd probably be surprised of just how much less stressed and anxious you'd be if you started taking better care of your health. Try doing little things like replacing soda with water, eating less cake, going for a jog several times a week, or being more mindful of what you eat, and you'll begin to feel better both physically and mentally.
Click here for more on the most common causes of anxiety.

Steven Handel is a frequent blogger on psychology and personal development who practices what he preaches. Check out more of his articles on personal development.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Handel

Physical Symptoms of Anxiety and Stress - Beat Anxiety and Depression

2011-07-23T16:30:00.001+01:00

By David Wesenburg

If you have had an anxiety attack or you know somebody that has, you know how much they can affect a person's life. Anxiety can really mess with a person's emotions and happens due to a chemical imbalance in the body. Depression and anxiety can go hand in hand because depression is also caused by a chemical imbalance in the nervous system and brain. Many people believe that in order to treat both anxiety and depression it is necessary to take medication. I am here to tell you this could not be further from the truth.
The good news is that both anxiety and depression can be fully cured and you can cure them by using natural treatments. If a therapist can be afforded then by all means go see a therapist. But in today's economy most people cannot afford a therapist. That is ok though because you can get just as good results through methods you do at home.
If you are feeling a sense of hopelessness in your life it will really help if you create a schedule at the start of each day. When looking at the items on the schedule, it will allow you to realize you actually are doing a lot with your life. Diet, working out, doctor visits, hair appointments, entertainment, hanging out with friends, homework, and massage therapy can all be included in your schedule.
If you are thinking about taking medication to help with the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety I am going to ask you to think again. Medications do not offer a permanent cure and can become very addictive.

If you want to get rid of your anxiety you need to do something about it. I used a plan called Panic Away to get rid of my anxiety. To learn more about Panic Away Click Here!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Wesenburg

Signs & Symptoms of Stress, Anxiety & Depression

2011-07-23T16:20:00.001+01:00

By Caitlan Natalier

If you think that you may be suffering from stress, anxiety or depression check out these signs and symptoms and seek some professional help. Even if only one or two of these signs are familiar to you, you should read on and know what to look out for to avoid getting worse. It is a good idea to always surround yourself with friends and family and know how and where you can seek help. So without any further ado, here are some signs of depression that I have learned, from personal experience, to look out for:

Erratic Moods
If you are not properly medicated or otherwise treated for depression, you can become very irritated, moody and frustrated. Your moods may be erratic and it might even take you a few days to realize. it is highly likely that you have also been upsetting the people around you, such as your family and work colleagues, without even realizing it.

Fatigue or Restless Sleep
This is not necessarily a sign of depression, but more a contributing factor or aggravator of it. If your mind will not stop working at one million miles an hour, or your dreams are waking you up in a state of panic, then you should definitely seek some professional medical advice to help you to prevent things from getting worse. The answer may be as simple as changing your diet or getting some exercise so try this first before you outlay a lot of money on expensive medical appointments and medications.

Weight Gain or Weight Loss
Stress, anxiety and depression can affect people in different ways and for different reasons. Similarly, different people will exhibit different signs. In my experience, I notice that I tend to lose my appetite and significantly lose weight in the days leading up to a really depressing mood. And I do not have much weight to lose, so small changes in my weight can be quite significant. This is also despite the side effects of my prescription medication which increases my appetite. On the other hand, other people tend to comfort eat and gain weight before becoming depressed. In either case, changes in your weight, particularly if it is weight gain, can be a cause of stress, anxiety or depression in many people.

Withdrawal
A sudden withdrawal of contact with friends, family and work colleagues is obvious. However, if this occurs gradually over time, it is possible that no-one will notice until it is too late. Remember, it is possible for a person to be physically present in a social setting but emotionally or psychologically distant. Always make sure you are surrounded by people and if you cannot interact, then it is usually a good idea to spend time with your family.

Loss of Interest in Personal Presentation
This is possibly one of the most obvious signs to see when someone is experiencing trouble in their personal life. A person who is preoccupied with their troubling thoughts will often become lazy when it comes to applying make up, re-dying coloured hair or treating acne. In some cases, even failing to bathe can be obvious!

Memory Loss and Operating on Auto Pilot
This is one of the last signs that you might acknowledge, as everyone gets weighed down from time to time with the pressures of life. You should know for yourself once you have reached the point where nothing interests you, and you are simply doing what is required of you by everyone else, and nothing more. If your demeanor is not excitable and your stare is empty, if you have trouble engaging in conversation or making eye contact, then I strongly encourage you to find a family member to just be around. If you think you are becoming forgetful, often your memory is quite fine, it is just the case that you were not listening properly because you were caught up in your own thoughts.
Even if you are medicated for stress, anxiety or depression and are under the supervision of a medical professional, if any of these signs are familiar to you, it might be worthwhile requesting a second opinion to ensure that you have been prescribed the right medication for you. If, after reading this article, you have some concerns for someone close to you be careful and tactful in how you raise them. Be prepared to listen patiently, do not push for more information then the person is willing to give you initially, and make sure that they are aware that you are there to help if they need someone. Do not take an accusatory approach or make the person feel cornered or ashamed - they are probably feeling bad enough already.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caitlan_Natalier

The Stress of Lost Desire

2011-07-23T16:17:00.001+01:00

By Kevin Schoeninger
Did you know that you can feel stress from not living your true desires and dreams? This is a kind of subconscious energy sucker that robs you of your life force. Deep down inside you know what you truly want and if you don't act on it, your life force withers until you feel like a shadow of your true self.
To identify if this might be happening to you, you can ask yourself a few questions:
What do I truly desire? (We're talking soul desires, the kind of desire that expresses who you are, your authentic self.)
What is my purpose in being here now?
What am I excited about doing today?
You might think that knowing what you want would be obvious, but for several reasons this can be a real challenge. Why is that? In my experience working with clients (and myself) I've uncovered at least three reasons.
First, you might be swamped with things to do, many of which you feel are obligations. Most of your time and energy may be spent doing what you "have to do." You may not have time or energy in reserve to consider what you truly want. You may not have allowed space in your life or given yourself permission to consider what authenticity means to you.
Second, when you are not in the habit of checking in with what you truly desire, you may lose touch with it. In fact, you may lose touch with your feelings in general. You may become somewhat numb to what is going on inside. In our busy and noisy culture, we have to block many things out so we can get through the day. We may get used to blocking out our deeper feelings and desires.
Finally, we may say we don't know what we truly want, when deep down inside we really do know. However, if we would admit it, if we would say it, we would feel pressure to do something about it. That might mean changing what we're doing. Change becomes another stressor.
When we say what we truly want, we feel a responsibility to go for it. If we're feeling overwhelmed already, saying that we don't know what we want keeps that pressure at bay. If I don't know what I want, then I can just keep doing what I have to do. Then, rather than feeling bad about not living my true desires, I just feel numb.
One thing I've found helpful is to think of doing just a little of what I truly desire every day. It doesn't have to take a lot of time or energy. It doesn't have to take away from all the other things on my To Do List. Just act on what deeply interests you at some point every day.
A second thing is to notice how my true desires relate to what is happening around me right now. Desire and purpose don't have to be huge overwhelming considerations. They can be as simple as paying attention to what is right in front of you. Do you see a need that you can fulfill? Is there someone you can assist right where you are given your interests, talents, and resources? Your true soul desires and service to others are inextricably linked.
As you take time to consider what you desire, what you have to offer, and how this serves others, you'll begin to tap into inspiration that is waiting for you inside. You'll dive under the surface of your life stresses to discover a source of energy that will lift you up. In the process, you'll find that spark of authenticity and purpose that makes your former stresses fade to the background.

Meditation is a great way to connect with your Core while reducing stress. For meditation tips and techniques to reduce stress be sure to visit us here:
Kevin Schoeninger graduated from Villanova University in 1986 with a Master's Degree in Philosophy. He is certified as a Reiki Master Teacher, Qigong Meditation Instructor, and Personal Fitness Trainer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Schoeninger

Is Fear Holding You Back From Your Greatest Potential?

2011-07-23T16:13:00.001+01:00

"Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain"
- Mark Twain

By Don MacNaughton
The popular clothing brand No Fear use slogans on their T-shirts that suggest life is not worth living unless you are pushing the limits...
... If you're not living life on the edge, you're taking up too much room!
Are you someone who subscribes to that philosophy and feels 'no fear' or are you someone who feels it's better to be safe than sorry?
In fact, feeling fear is just an instinctive part of being human. If you never feel any fear, then you're just plain reckless and you're probably not going to live long enough to worry about taking up too much room! Fear is simply an emotional response generated by a part of your brain known as the lizard brain. It's the ancient part of your brain, concerned only with basic survival and keeping you alive - it really doesn't want you to push the limits or get too close to the edge.
If you feel you're someone who likes to play it safe, the voice you hear in the back of your mind when you're faced with making a decision in life is the voice of your lizard brain. It's the voice that says "don't take any chances" or "don't do anything risky." We all have a lizard brain so we all have a little voice in our head telling us to be careful and to stay alive but we don't all respond to that voice in the same way.
Scientists believe our brains evolved in three stages:

The lizard brain - the ancient part of your brain, concerned only with keeping you alive and with basic survival. In this first stage, responses to events or happenings in life were purely instinctive.
The mammalian brain - this stage gave us an ability to file away our experiences of life as memories so responses to events were no longer purely instinctive. Our ever-expanding store of memory-based experiences meant that memories could now evoke non-instinctive emotional responses, including fear, and memories of past events could influence our response to current and future events.
The neocortex; the brain as we understand it today - in this third stage, we're now able to draw on the memory-based experiences of past events, sift through all of the stored information, consider the events or happenings rationally, and then make conscious decisions on how to respond to current or future situations using our best judgement.

The No Fear T-shirt wearers in life respond to the lizard brain voice by questioning what it says, rationalising whether there is any real danger, then overruling it by using their 'third stage brain' to make a judgement. They're not so much fearless as they are calculated risk takers. On the other hand, the 'better safe than sorry' guys in life respond to the cautioning voice of the lizard brain by allowing it to influence their thoughts and actions without any further questions being asked. For example, let's say you're thinking of quitting your job and starting your own business. Your lizard brain voice says, "You'll fail. Hundreds of new businesses fail every day so you will too."
No Fear guy response -
"Hundreds of new businesses succeed every day. There are reasons why businesses fail and reasons why businesses succeed. I will succeed because I have prepared for success." 'Better safe than sorry' guy response -
"I'll fail. Best stay in my job and keep my guaranteed income."
Your lizard brain is concerned only with your survival so negative thoughts of what might happen are based on negative past experiences. If you have previously cut yourself with a carving knife, the next time you are holding a carving knife, your lizard brain voice will quite rightly begin to yell "danger!" Of course, you have already learned from your past experience and while you are able to acknowledge that there is a real danger, you're also able to rationalise the situation and reason that cutting yourself last time does not mean you will cut yourself again this time.
Fear is a natural, built-in survival mechanism but it needn't hold you back in life. Getting ahead in life is not about becoming fearless, it's about identifying what your fears are and then using your best judgement to calculate how real and 'life threatening' they actually are.

Want to learn More About Donald MacNaughton? www.donmacnaughton.org
His work spans leadership and performance development in both the corporate and sporting arenas. Zoned in Performance is a business consultancy specialising in High Performance Coaching and Performance Psychology.
Using proven, effective and inspirational coaching techniques, Don MacNaughton helps clients unlock potential, achieve lasting breakthroughs and increase individual and team performance. Find out more at High Performance Coaching Guide

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Don_MacNaughton

The Importance of Spending Time With Your Self

2011-07-23T16:11:00.001+01:00

By Lori Chance

It is important to spend time with your Self, doing things you wouldn't do in front of others and imagining the possibilities of life without being influenced by outside forces. We all need time dedicated purely to our Selves; it is an integral part of being healthy, happy, and fulfilled.
Being Alone; Feeling Lonely
The first thing you need to realize is that spending time by yourself is not the same as feeling lonely. Loneliness has to do with how connected we are with our Selves. If we're not connected, we'll feel lonely whether we're by ourselves or with a group. When we're connected, we'll feel at peace whether we're by ourselves or with a group. It's not only important to make that distinction, it's vital that you understand being by yourself at any time is not a bad thing. There are lots of advantages to having the luxury of Self time; if you can appreciate them, you will be less likely to think of alone time as a negative.
Even the holidays, which we've all been led to believe simply must be spent surrounded by others, needn't be viewed as a penance of some sort! You always have a choice. You could spend the day volunteering to help others or you could spend it in quiet reflection with only your Self as company. But isn't it great that you have the choice?
Benefits of Alone Time
The modern world is fast-paced. With so much technology encroaching on every tiny little aspect of our lives, we are seldom allowed the luxury of taking the time necessary to think, to reflect, to respond, to feel. That's one of the benefits of alone time; it gives you those precious minutes or hours to examine your emotions. It allows you to get in touch with your true Self and figure out the why and how of things. It also provides time to think of different ways you might have reacted, words you could have said, things you could have chosen to do.
Your private thoughts are precious; they represent little snippets of your Self that are never shared with others. That gives them value and provides you with insights no one else will ever have. This alone time is often full of creativity and problem solving that occurs without fear of being found out.
Using Insight for Change
After you have spent some time alone, I want you to reflect back on it and notice if you were a different person than the one you allow others to see. Did you act in a different way when you took an out-of-town trip? Did you feel freer to do simple things that gave you pleasure? How did you feel at the end of your time alone? Was it a feeling of dread to return to your normal life?
Often what happens when you get in touch with your inner Self is that you become dissatisfied with your "normal" life and wish to regain the fun you had when no one was looking. The goal of alone time is not to escape life but rather to take away a better understanding of your core values and use that information to make normal life more fulfilling and more fun. Now is the time to use those insights into your Self and determine how you can incorporate that private you with the image you project to others.
Only you can take care of your Self; start now by booking some alone time - even if it's just 5 minutes to start with. You just might be amazed at how liberating and how insightful this time can be.
[I'm wondering if people really understand what "alone time" means... I know plenty of people who say they're taking time for themselves but fill that time with distractions so that they're never really present nor attentive. They can't seem to stop doing long enough to hear their own thoughts or feel their own feelings. You touched on some of that here, but what about going more into it in a follow up? What does it mean to really be present? What do you do when those unpleasant emotions come up - ya know, the ones you want to run from? (Ahh... choices!) Mostly though, it's not about getting something accomplished to check off the to-do list. One person can be gardening just to get it done while another could be doing the same thing but being full present with it. It's an internal game. Once learned, it can be one someone plays no matter where they are or what they're doing, but it's often easiest to learn outside of "normal" life first.]

Lori Chance is a collaborative writer and editor specializing in how-to, informational, spiritual, and personal development articles and books. Her self-coaching book for women titled Who Am I? is now available through Amazon and her website. Learn more about answering this important question and receive the Top 5 Secrets to Successfully Change Your Life for FREE, by visiting her website and blog. You can also connect with Lori on Facebook.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lori_Chance

20 Daily Words of Encouragement

2011-07-23T16:07:00.001+01:00

By Carmen Gilfillan

We all have days when we feel down, off colour or despondent. When this happens, we can choose to stay there or to change the way we feel. One way to feel more positive is to use daily words of encouragement and strength such as the ones that follow in order to find inner tranquility and calm:
1. Find the love, peace and gratitude in everything you do
2. Develop and maintain for as long as possible the states of love, gratitude, fascination and interest
3. If you can accept that you are where you need to be in this moment, and that there is something valuable for you to learn, every experience becomes a gift
4. Encourage yourself to free yourself up from the judgements of others. When you no longer need the approval of others, you can be who you are, function at your best and reach your life goals
5. All the answers you'll ever need are within you or around you
6. Neutralise your self-consciousness by externalising your awareness and focusing 100% on what is going on around you
7. There is no-one in the world exactly like you. There never has been and there never will be. So celebrate your uniqueness every day
8. We are all fallible, but we are also all great in our own unique way. In what way are you great?
9. What is the magic that you bring to the world? Why is the world a better place now that you're in it?
10. You have a unique set of skills, talents and abilities that represent your unique gift. What's your unique gift? How can you bring it to the world?
11. You can always choose to approach any new situation with confidence
12. You are a deserving, worthwhile person, who always does the best you can given the person you are today
13. Your best is always good enough
14. Always remember that life is a gift, time is precious and there is always someone worse off than you
15. Nothing stays the same. Therefore change is an opportunity for you to grow and excel
16. There is no dilemma that you are facing that has not been faced and overcome by someone else
17. Stumbling blocks are simply an indication that there is something you need to do or know. Ask for long enough how you get beyond the stumbling block and your question will be answered
18. Choose to enjoy the experience of life
19. Believe always that you have the power to positively influence those around you by what you think, say and do
20. Time goes by in a heartbeat, so treasure every moment of every day
Use these daily words of encouragement and strength to build yourself up every day. There is sufficient negativity in the world, so if we can motivate ourselves each day we give ourselves the strength to motivate those around us.
For more daily words of encouragement, strength and comfort go to: http://www.stimulus.uk.com and arrange your free, no obligation Life Coaching consultation.

Carmen Gilfillan is the founder of Stimulus Development & Training. Stimulus is dedicated to helping people raise their game, fulfil their potential and and live their best lives. We do this through Life & Wellness Coaching, as well as training in the areas of personal, professional and spiritual growth. Check out our
website at http://www.stimulus.uk.com/Life_Coaching.html to book a free coaching consultation.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carmen_Gilfillan

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The Stress of Lost Desire

Is Fear Holding You Back From Your Greatest Potential?

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