Abundance Academy

Posted by author on January 9, 2013 2 comments

The Abundant Life:

How Do You Get It? How Do You Live It?

Here at Laughs Heal, we’ve offered lots of tips on how to manage stress effectively, but how many people simply want to learn more about living the abundant life? After all, isn’t that contrast the most commonly cited reason for stress?

Either you would like to enjoy more of life or find more ways to get more out of life and either way, much more abundance is truly helpful! Usually when we think of abundance, we tend to think of things like money, homes, cars, boats, jewels and other such items of possession. But my question to you is this: Are these “things” really what abundance is about, or is “the abundant life” something greater and deeper?

Live Life Abundantly

To take a deeper look at the abundant life, let’s pause for a moment and take a look at a few universal laws on abundance. These are things which we might notice every day, but yet we might not necessarily be cognizant of as a visible, tangible universal law of abundance. Here are some examples:

1. The sun shines every day.
2. The trees, mountains, etc., have all of the nourishment they could ever need.
3. The animals and insects of nature never go without.

These are universal laws that have been true since the beginning of time. So our only question is this: if this magnificent, intelligent universe is so good at taking care of itself, how can I learn to do the same with the help of these universal laws?

That’s what living the abundant life is all about. Learning how to stay in the flow of abundance that the universe already provides so that you really do live the abundant life. In other words, loving what life offers you today is the best way to love what life offers you tomorrow.

This is what they mean when they say “money cannot buy you happiness” because we all know people who have a lot of “things” but are unhappy with their lives as well as people who have few “things” who are equally unhappy. What does this show us?

This is the proof that happiness and living the abundant life have nothing to do with “things”.

Abundance Mentality

Living the abundant life begins with a state of mind and continues on through wherever your imagination can take you! The best part about it is that YOU are in control and you get to choose your preferences and perspective.

This is about more than looking at the glass as half full or half empty, this is about setting a tone for your day and your life. This is about recognizing your inner potential and freeing yourself to live the abundant life to the fullest.

You have an innate right to be happy and this is one of the most important things that you can be cognizant of today. Once you recognize this right and claim it for yourself, you can begin adjusting your ideas and beliefs about yourself so that everything that comes into your mind is in harmony with the abundance mindset that you have set for your life.

Start this type of process today and you will be amazed at how quickly you recognize and easily omit whatever is not aligned with your intention.
I write this to you today because of the readers who have written me and asked “how to change belief systems”, so you can look forward to find much more material on this subject coming up!

This is where the change starts, so let’s start aligning it today!

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Change: What To Do About It: 4 Tools To Get You Great Results

Posted by author on April 17, 2012 4 comments

How To Cope With Stress Concerning Change

When coping with stress, one of the biggest difficulties we face with the decision making process is always going to be centered around change. No matter where we are or what we do, change is going to be an inevitable fact about life. Yet and still, I don’t know about you, but I tend to have a great aversion towards change.

At times, even something as simple as having to change your regular route because of construction can be enough to challenge your sense of peace and well being, especially if you’re pressed for time. Not to mention changes in appointment schedules which, with one swoop, can set into motion a type of domino effect for all consecutive appointments. Change, even the slightest, can strike suspense, mystery, confusion, doubt and fear.

We, as humans, are habitual creatures. We like the fact that we can perform certain tasks like making breakfast in the morning or driving to work, without having to think about them. Besides, who really wants to rethink simple mundane, monotonous tasks, much less the big tasks that some changes bring?

How To Reprogram Your Mind To Accept Change

First of, let me start off by congratulating you! If you’re reading this now, chances are, you’ve already survived change in your life many, many times, so kudos to you for that! If you’re facing new changes in your life at the present moment, let me start off by encouraging you.

The fact that you have already survived the challenges of past changes in your life is your proof positive that you can and you will, survive any current challenge of change you may be facing. Fuel yourself with the enormous positive energy of the changes that you have already overcome so that you begin to gain new belief systems about your capacity to overcome today’s challenge of change, as well.

This case study: a formula for success details how you can do this with ease, comfort and pleasure.

Another good thing to keep in mind is the fact that change does not have to be a bad thing. When you embrace change with a healthy positive attitude, you find yourself gaining advatnages, benefits and personal development skills that dramatically improve the quality of your life.

So exactly how do you cope with stress and change so that your decision making process comes from a place inside of you that is the opposite of doubt, fear and confusion?

Here are a few helpful strategies that are your best assets for facing change:

1. Believe you can cope with stress effectively

As you’ve already read here at Laughs Heal in the past, your inner belief systems are fundamental in determining how you relate to the world around you. Use the process of change to enhance and strengthen your inner belief systems so that you gain these reinforced advantages, as well.

You get the upper hand when you practice the use of positive words applied in a powerful method called positive self-talk.

These are tools to lift up your vision and belief sytems by helping you to know that you are coping with change and stress effectively.

2. Read inspirational stories to empower your decision making process

No matter what changes you face, there are bound to be inspirational stories about others who have overcome the same difficulties and challenges that you face. Immerse yourself in their real life facts of how they overcame adversity and know that they are proof positive that you can too.

The nice thing about reading inspirational strories is that they also give your inner belief systems a nice boost and they keep your mind focused on the countless opportunities of what you can do to overcome the stress of change.

3. Use the 1 action verb to help you embrace change

As you’re going through the exercises outlined in “The 1 Action Verb To Get You From Stressed To Refreshed”, you will be putting into powerful action the 1 greatest muscle and tool you have: Your Mind Tools.

You will also begin to notice a strange coincidence: almost everything that you gather from your life in order to complete those exercises, are things which were born out of change.

These are the concrete reasons why you need not doubt your decision making process. It’s human nature to question if our decisions are sound when going through the decision making process, but in order to cope with stress effectively, it’s also important to silence your inner critic and begin to trust yourself and your capacities.

The 1 action verb is a great vehicle to render that journey smooth, easy and placid.

4. Let creative visualization help you

Creative Visualization
Gives You The Power
To Paint The Picture
Of Your Best Life
Experience

Once you’ve gotten rid of the negative connotations that might have been present concerning any change you face, you are ready to start with a fresh and clean slate.

Like a painters begin their artwork on a clean canvas, let creative visualization help you to paint a beautifully fulfilling and satisfying picture of your life throughout the process of change.

There may be things about your change that you don’t have power over, but even if “construction has blocked your regular route” you’re still the person driving the car.

By placing these ideas into action in your life surrounding any challenges of change, you are bound to go through the decision making process with less stress and when you practice coping with stress using tools that give you positive energy, you are bound to face changes in life with victory!

Here’s to you getting great results with change!

What changes are you facing in your life today? Tell us about it in the comments.

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How Stress Management and Personal Development Help You Gain Success

Posted by author on April 13, 2012 16 comments

Stress Management & Personal Development:

They Help You Live Well & Gain Success

There is no denying the fact that stress is indeed a great inhibitor and a big hurdle for anyone’s general emotional, mental and professional growth; so this is why at Laughs Heal, we consider stress management as a necessity — not a luxury. The importance of stress management is very evident particularly in the light of today’s challenging job, business and general economic markets. Here are a few points that should be taken into account when answering the question how to cope with stress.

When it comes to managing stress, a good starting point is to understand the importance of waking up to live the day for you in compliance with your overall objectives in life, not just for your job.
Listening to music, watching some good movies, and enjoying your free-time are all very good ways for you to cope with stress by using good use of relaxation.
Try to change your routine from week to week and interchange your less important priorities because this really does a lot to help you overcome monotony and the resultant stress associated with stress build-up, burnout and overload.
Taking deep breaths, meditating and practicing counting from 1 to 10 slowly are good relaxation exercises which are very helpful for your coping strategies.

While there is no doubt that there may be things about stressful circumstances that you might not be able to change just yet, nonetheless try to keep in mind some important empowering facts about yourself. One such empowering fact is that you can change your approach towards stressful situations. This is powerful to help you through all of the decision making processes which most people tend to consider stressful.

Different Types Of Stress

Sure, there are different types of stress to keep an eye out for when approaching better ways to master the art of successful stress management. For example, how are your relationships with other people? How do you feel in the environment in which you live? Which measures do you take to combat job stress?

Statistics show that job stress contributes greatly to increasing stress levels in the majority of people. This means that if you’re not actively looking for and practicing new ways to cope with stress, chances are, you might, by default, be coping with stress in a way that is not the most beneficial to you.

You’re not alone. Most of us tend to follow the same patterns and routines that we’ve always had. This is precisely why it’s not so common to think about positive changes, much less make them. But you can break free from your comfort zone and try something new!

Let’s take a look at some new steps which you can apply today so you can start getting stress relief now.

Effective Methods Of Managing Stress In The Workplace

First and foremost, it’s good for you to understand the fact that stress management is most needed in your workplaces for some reasons that are quite obvious, but most importantly, for the reasons that are not so obvious.
Once the above reality is firmly rooted in your mind you can begin the decision making process of discovering new methods to cope with stress at work by looking at which methods you’ve used in the past that haven’t really worked well for you.
The first starting point is for you to make your game plan for your effective stress management of work related issues, then go for it and work your plan! Entering the workplace without an advanced plan of action is bound to increase your stress levels.
You should not forget the importance of taking breaks that are due to you in your workplace. Working smart is better than just working hard. Your personal well being is more important than being hyper committed to your job and your organization, and realistically speaking, if you want to really be committed to anything, you can give your best when you are at your best, so your personal well being is fundamentally important.

Effective Stress Management = A Happier You

So, to know how to cope with stress, it’s a good idea to start with the basics. Manage what you cannot change, but keep your empowering views on what you can change. Here are 3 steps to apply:

Ask yourself the tough questions about your past stress management game plans
Properly and objectively assess your situation
Then take new action

This is bound to give you concrete results which you can apply not only in your stress management for work related stress, but also for your personal development in helping you to cope with stress in every area of your life. Less stress automatically equals a better performance from you and this all leads to more success in your path in life!

Which area is most difficult in your path of personal development when it comes to coping with stress effectively? Tell us about it in the comments and we’ll come up with some solutions!

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Reduce Stress and Anxiety With Essential Oils: Your At Home Spa!

Posted by author on April 10, 2012 13 comments

Reduce Stress and Anxiety With Essential Oils:

Get Your At Home Spa On!

Anxiety and stress can inflict horrible symptoms on people of any age and if you’re not sure which common ailments are stress and anxiety related, just look at symptoms of stress and you’ll understand very easily. These days, even kids need new methods of stress management and anxiety reducers that even 10 years ago, simply didn’t exist.

Anxiety and stress come in all sorts of different forms including social anxiety, panic attacks, or simply an inability to cope with the pressure of a hectic schedule and a hectic day. Anxiety raises your heart rate, causes you mental fatigue, and this not only creates stress, it can cause danger to your physical and emotional health and overall sense of well being.

Sometimes this results in a decision to see a therapist, use pills or other chemicals to help the feelings of repeated anxiety and stress. However, some of these drugs have unknown side effects, and some can even cause future health problems. This is why it’s good to keep in mind the fact that essential oils are all-natural solutions and relaxing ways for you to reduce stress and anxiety, calm your nerves, get a better night’s sleep, and stay at the top of your performance levels.

How Essential Oils Help

When you feel like you have difficulty with concentration, and your efficiency levels are down, this might simply be a sign that it’s time to try the all-natural solutions which essential oils offer. Also look out for moments when you tend to feel down more than usual. It could be a simple case of sluggishness or it might be a wake-up call to implement some healthy changes.

Dysfunctional relationships are also a major cause of anxiety and stress. If your relationship is in distress, worrying and focusing on your fears can make you feel more stressed and cause you to feel more anxious, as a result. These are other signs that some all-natural solutions need to be implemented in your life.

Essential oils can help soothe and relax your mind from this type of stress and anxiety and this soothing pleasure means less time you spend worrying. Worrying about distressed relationships never tends to enhance physical or mental/emotional health, so using aromatherapy can help keep your body strong and relieve your physical stress, too.

So whenever you find yourself overwhelmed from the anxiety and stress of work, school, home life, etc., trying essential oils offers you a new change to lift your spirits and help you to conquer pessimism over those bothersome situations. Regaining control of your emotions is what you need the most and it’s also good for you to remember that this can be done without the need of prescription pills, chemicals, alcohol and other commonly used stress reducers.

Essential oils accomplish your goal of a more relaxed state of mind without giving you any negative side effects. If you haven’t tried essential oils before, now might be a good time to try few drops here and there so that you can get the refreshing feeling of relief from stress and anxiety now.

Top Essential Oil Combination To Reduce Stress And Anxiety

The following essential oils are great for reducing stress and anxiety in your life. These three essential oils are particularly noted for their importance for good meditation and anxiety reduction. You can use them individually for their separate benefits, but it’s been recommended to use them together because of their combined potence as an all-natural solution to debilitating anxiety and daily stress.

Bergamot Essential Oil

Bergamot is a refreshing and uplifting essential oil. It is extracted from the peel of the fruit, and its citrus aroma helps lift you spiritually and rids you from negative thoughts. It helps your emotional balance, your sense of well being, and keeps you focused. It’s also known to be an anti-depressant and works effectively as an all-natural sedative.

Cedarwood Essential Oil

Cedarwood is a soothing essential oil that helps you reduce stress from your body and mind. This oil is extracted from the Virginian Cedar tree, so its fragrance is woody and refreshing to the mind. It has strong relaxing benefits and can also alleviate problems with insomnia.

French Lavender Essential Oil

French Lavender is one of the most popular flowery scents that exists and it really rejuvenates your mind quickly! This scent is French-born and has long been considered a therapeutic fragrance. It’s powerful to reduce stress from your mind, and it can even alleviate the aches and pains from your muscles, as well.

Uses of Essential Oil Combination: Your At Home Spa!

Here are some great ideas to get you started with your stress and anxiety reduction pack. These are just a few of the numerous ideas of successful methods of application and surely, once you start using these essential oils and feeling the benefits, you’ll discover many more!

Dilute a couple of drops of your potent essential oils into a carrier oil, then get (or give yourself) a long, relaxing massage
Make a steam inhalation by placing a few drops of your essential oils into a bowl of hot water, covering your head with a towel, then simply inhaling the delicious vapour
Apply 1 to 2 drops of your essential oils on a cup of epsom salts*, then dissolve that into your bathwater for a special anti-stress bath
Place your potent combo into a diffuser to inhale the peace while you exhale stress and anxiety; try an effective and specific diffuser like: Aura Cacia Diffuser – Aromatherapy Vaporizer with Oil, 1.64

*A great place for your epsom salts: myOTCstore.com – Online health and beauty shop.
**Be sure to test your essential oils for allergic reactions.
***Less is more, it only takes 1-2 drops because these essential oils are very powerful.

Which of these methods of use do you plan to try? Tell us about it in the comments!
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Stress Management: Cope With Stress From A New Angle

Posted by author on April 6, 2012 11 comments

Cope With Stress From A New Angle

At some point in our lives, coping with stress becomes a fundamental aspect of learning to deal with life issues. Most of the time we’re able to cope with stress using various stress management techniques. But there are also times where there seems to be too much stress for us to effectively handle.

This can cause us to feel broken down physically and emotionally. When this happens, our immune system goes down causing us to become very irritable, and this affects our daily activities as well as our relationships with other people. But you can change all of that now.

For Maximum Stress Relief, Review Yourself Objectively

You need a clear picture of your situation so start by increasing your awareness. Take a look at some some well-known stress stymptoms to see where you are and how you can implement some new approaches.

Which symptoms you experience when stress starts to build up is an important assessment for you to make today. This awareness will help you in choosing the right stress management techniques. Don’t wait for the stress from life issues to build up to the point where you’re on stress overload.

Taking preventive measures is one of the best ways to effectively manage stress that exist. As the saying goes, why put it off until tomorrow when you can do it today? Besides, if tomorrow is a stress overload day, then there’s no time like the present to get started!

Each and every person is unique and so each of you has different perspectives on stress. It’s for this reason that there are many coping techniques for managing stress and it all depends what suits you best. Each person has stress that can be handled right away, so that’s a good choice for you to make today.

I suggest a more proactive approach not only because it keeps you in touch with your power to mold and construct your life, but also because it’s the best way to initiate preventive measures which prevent stress build-up, burnout and overload.

Proactive Stress Management: Create Balance In Your Life

We all have different roles and responsibilities in life but one thing we all have in common, is a need to approach these roles and responsibilities with balance, calm, and patience. We can’t grow if we don’t engage in relationships with other people. It’s through our interaction with other people and the responses that they give back to us, that we get to see how our psychological well being is going.

Not only should we be mentally healthy but we should also be physically healthy as well. This is can be achieved by eating the right kinds of food needed by your body. To further be sure you’re getting enough of the right anti-stress foods, check out The Right Foods: Anti-Stress Vitamin.

Even in your most hectic moments, it’s important for you to make time for yourself. This is perhaps the single most important aspect many people forget when practicing how to manage stress effectively. You need time to reward yourself with the things that you love and enjoy.

Maybe a good old fashioned stress relieving bath will make you feel like new or perhaps an at home spa aromatherapy treatment will make you feel pampered. There are also many quick pick-me-ups that essential oils can give you. What’s important is that you treat yourself as nicely as you would treat your best friend because to reduce stress in your life, you need to look for ways to be nice to yourself instead of only seeing obligations, duties and deadlines.

What this does is it helps you to step back a bit and change up the pace for a moment. There’s no need to run through life all the time. There are times to simply enjoy the stroll, but when under pressure, we tend to think we need to keep a fast pace. Slowing things down to remember to care for yourself helps you to cope with stress by imposing more balance in your life.

Keep this thought in your mind: no matter how big and severe the problem is, you can cope with it in productive ways. Even if there seems to be no solution to your problem at the moment, you can learn ways to control your emotions. Emotions are very powerful and they can affect your attitude and your behaviour.

Here are some ways to gain more control over your emotions to better cope with stress:

Learn to Use Meditation

If you really want to calm your mind, then meditation is a very good technique for you to use. Through meditation, you will gain deeper awareness of yourself and how to cope with stress.

Meditation has many forms, such as deep breathing, creative visualization, practicing mindfulness, and muscle relaxation activities.

Engage In Activities You Love

No matter what that activity is, if you find it helps you to cope with stress, then keep it at the top of your list. This is one of the reasons why having hobbies is so beneficial. Maybe you get great delight in talking with friends, jogging in the park, going shopping, which we call retail therapy, or many other positive pastimes, so make sure to keep them scheduled on a regular basis.

Too often, especially when you might be in a particularly busy period, those fun hobbies are the first to go, but the power they have to help you cope with stress means they need to be keepers. Like mentioned earlier, if you treat yourself as you would your best friend, you’ll remember to not deny yourself the good things which bring balance to your life.

Coping With Stress Prevents Burnout

Stress is part of life and everyone experiences it at some point in their lives. But stress is only temporary and you can cope with stress successfully. By searching for the right stress management techniques uniquely suited to you, you will have an arsenal ready to conquer your feelings of burnout or overload.

Is there any area of stress management that you don’t see covered here? Tell us about it in the comments!
Here’s to your stress management success!

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How To Manage Your Inner Critic Stress Levels: 3 Basic Solutions

Posted by author on April 3, 2012 13 comments

How To Manage Your Inner Critic Stress Levels

It’s very odd how many of us fail to listen to that tiny voice inside ourselves, perhaps because of fear of what it might say to us. The inner critic challenges and undermines our self-confidence in our decision making process with life issues and this affects how you manage stress. As a matter of fact, the inner critic is one of the most devious sources of stress known to mankind.

Yet, this voice can be the all-commanding mentor giving you loads of positive words to fill your mind with positive thoughts. The pessimistic inner critic takes over when facing challenges where you might need extra courage or strength. This is when that inner voice tries to convince you of all the reasons why you wouldn’t be able to do it.

Don’t believe the lies your inner voice tries to tell you.

Your Inner Critic Affects Your Decision Making Process

Your inner critic was also given to you to keep you safe and help you see danger signs, but when it’s counter productive to your decision making process and hence, your growth as an individual, new measures must be taken. As reported in this article, Harvard Business Review on How To Manage Your Inner Critic, even people with much success report difficulty with managing the stress of their inner critic. Exploring how to manage stress effectively takes on many forms, but it’s something that affects us all.

Much of this boils down to your inner belief systems. As you’ve read here on Laughs Heal, we’ve covered and will continue to cover ways to change your belief systems. In Positive Affirmations Won’t Work For You Unless…, you discovered the difference between positive affirmations that work and those that don’t. You also have a case study with How To Manage Stress To Gain Success: A Formula with 10 Benefits.

These are helpful in understanding and having a plan of action to change your belief systems, along with many other articles in our archives. But the inner critic is a not so obvious source of stress in defeating the success of your inner belief systems.

So continuing to examine ways to improve your inner belief systems, we must address your inner critic. You inner critic is not only a huge source of stress, but it also makes discovering how to manage stress effectively, more important. Thank goodness there are solutions!

Here Are 3 Basic Solutions for Silencing Your Inner Critic:
The 3 R’s

1. Recognize Your Inner Critic

Use The 3 R’s
To Silence Your
Inner Critic:
Recognize
Release
Reconsctruct

When you recognize which voice is your inner critic from the good judgement which keeps you from dangerous situations, you will have accomplished a huge step! Once you know the difference, you can see where your inner critic might just be fear of stepping out of your comfort zone to accomplish new goals. However, you know that your inner critic cannot keep you from accomplishing new goals, unless you allow it to.

Once you complete this step, you have the power back in your hands. You can change your decision making process to include activities which help you to step out of your comfort zone and overcome that voice that tries to tell you that you can’t.

2. Release Your Inner Critic

Having recognized that the voice was only your inner critic, it is easier to face it head on and then release it from your consciousness. It’s amazing how many people are not even aware of the fact that they have an inner critic and this only makes that source of stress stronger. Ignoring the inner voice has never resolved the negative, pessimistic results it produces.

By recognizing and releasing it, you acknowledge that it was there, but you let it go. Once you do that, you are ready to take action in the opposite direction of what your inner voice was telling you.

3. Reconstruct Your Inner Voice To Relay Self-Confidence

Steps #1 and #2 give you clarity and clean out the dust of the old thought patterns which were not doing you any good. Step #3 reinforces the bonus benefits you get from the first 2 steps by creating new habits of thought patterns. It’s just as easy to say something nice to yourself as it is to let the inner critic have its way, so by reclaiming your power over your thoughts, it gets easier to choose the thoughts you really want to keep about yourself.

No one can define you like you can! Choose to define yourself with positive words and you will see positive results.

You Can Win Over Your Inner Critic and Manage Stress Effectively!

These are well tested methods for creating new inner belief systems and have been used in many different philosophies throughout time. When your decision making process is hampered by your inner critic, you can look at it just as a simple way of your inner voice telling you that you’re ready for a change.

You can change the habits of your inner voice! You can discover how to go through the decision making process without any negativity or undue pessimism. Surely positive self-talk will go a long way in helping you to change these patterns and solidify your choice to conquer your inner critic.

Laughter therapy will also help you to keep a light hearted approach towards this change. Learning how to manage stress means looking at all of the sources of stress in your daily life and your inner critic is one source of stress which can be defeated.

Let your next decision making process be that of choosing to take action to get rid of your inner critic. It will help you to lead a much more balanced and satisfying lifestyle.

Here’s to your inner self-confidence success!

Which areas of dealing with your inner self critic and belief systems have been the most challenging for you? Comment on it and we can come up with some helpful tools for you!

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5 Stress Relieving Solutions for Decision Making and Better Stress Management

Posted by author on March 30, 2012 12 comments

Solutions For Decision Fatigue: Stress Relief Now

I hope that given that today is Friday, the biggest choice in your decision making process is going to be how to practice managing stress effectively by making a lot of fun decisions for your enjoyable weekend! Maybe Stress Busters: 10 Great Things To Do Over The Weekend can help you with those decisions!

But we all know that all too often, decision making is anything but fun. As a response to your comments on the previous post 3 Keys To Remember Before Making Decisions, requesting that I write more about this topic, as promised, I dedicate this post to your requests.

Life is always going to be about the continuous action of making decisions. You make many decisions consciously, but often, even unconsciously, you are always making decisions. This fact means that learning how to manage stress concerning decision making, is vital.

The 1 Area We Forget In The Decision Making Process

But there’s one very major area that you might tend to neglect when considering effective stress management for your decision making process. Actually, this part of the process tends to be ignored because of its innate functioning in and throughout the decision making process.

That major area is: THE BRAIN.

The brain, like the rest of the body can easily get exhausted during times of intense activity, hectic schedules, and even low glucose.

But unlike the body, brain exhaustion is not as noticeable. When you feel most exhausted from even the simplest of things, that’s when you might have a case of: decision fatigue.

When this happens, it can really distort your human ability to make sound decisions. So to know how to manage stress effectively, it’s a very good idea to address brain fatigue, as well.

Many people I know, including myself, consistently experience brain fatigue, but most times, we are not even aware of it. I just know that the more selections I have to make during the course of day, the harder it gets for me to pick out best choices.

Stress Management and the Decision Making Process

As a stress management technique, you can sometimes decide to take a shortcut and do whatever comes first to your mind. Or in certain times, you might even avoid a decision as a means for relieving stress instead of occupying your brain with the fatigue required to think through the decision making process.

To tell you the truth, I’ve done this many times myself, but if you apply this strategy, it can cause more fatigue in the long run.
Do you ever get that feeling that your self-control seems to dwindle after making a series of decisions?

For example, after you’re done making the big decisions about what to buy at the grocery store, it’s those little temptations at the checkout counter that seem so easy to give in to, even if you’re on a diet.

The strain of choosing so many items on your list can seem to take away even the strongest willpower to resist temptation for many of the smaller things.

This is why having good stress management skills means finding solutions to decision fatigue.

5 Solutions for Decision Fatigue

Make sure you start a day that is packed with decisions, eating a hearty breakfast. You might select specific “anti-stress” vitamin rich foods so that you have that extra boost to help you. (Check out: Anti-Stress Vitamin Rich Foods To Manage Stress.)
Reschedule if need be, but make sure you don’t have the most important decisions being made late in the day, when you may have physical fatigue, which only compounds the effect of mental brain fatigue.
A realistic choice that is taking the world by storm today is the idea of taking a power nap. If you cannot reschedule your decisions to the hours when you have maximum brain activity, then work around them by taking a power nap before going into the decision making process.
Try to get out and take a brisk walk right before a big decision making experience. The oxygen to your brain will help give you the quick fix you need and keep you more alert. 20 minutes is suggested and you should walk at an upbeat pace.
Once facing the decision making process, try eating a piece of fruit or chocolate immediately before. This too, will give you a burst of energy and help wake up your brain from brain fatigue.

Although decision fatigue has long been prevalent in our society, very few people are acquainted with it so much as to know how to avoid it and solve it. Yet, decision fatique nearly always has some role in everyone’s decision making process at one time or another.

Solutions for Decision Fatigue = Effective Stress Management

But you can start learning how to manage stress over decision fatigue and therefore, plan ahead so that it doesn’t place a detour in your objectives and outcomes.

Planning ahead of time and avoiding situations where you have to make too many decisions at the same time, when it’s concerning things you can avoid, is also a very effective way to manage stress. The decision making process is quite complex, so try not to compile too much together.

Understanding the right time to begin the decision making process will be better for you if you also take a look into your personal biorhythms. This means favoring the moments when you know that your mind is most fresh as opposed to those regular moments when you know you are likely to feel more fatigued.

By employing good stress management techniques and continually discovering how to manage stress effectively, even brain fatigue can be conquered! Decision making can be something that’s done without stress and you can actually come to enjoy the process. After all, to have so many choices available to you, is a good thing in life.

Tell us about the fatigue you’ve had with the decision making process in the comments section and quite possibly, you’ll see a post entirely dedicated to solutions for you, too!

If you know someone that this could help, please remember to share it with them, thanks!

Wishing you a lovely stress free weekend!
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Stress Test 101: Do You Know The Secret Of Managing Stress Effectively?

Posted by author on March 27, 2012 1 comment

Stress Test 101 – The Secret To Letting Go Of Stress

There is an alarming fact about stress that you might not know. Many people want to know how to manage stress effectively, but few consciously understand this secret about stress. Why?

Because even though we all know this secret about managing stress, we rarely give it attention in our lives. Too often the object of your stress takes all of your attention and that’s precisely when you forget this secret truth about life.

But by keeping this secret in the front of your mind, you can find it governing your actions and also very importantly, your reactions to stressful issues, for the better. This secret can help you to instantaneously lose the small matters which you’ve stressed over in the past and give you new strength with which to face the big matters in your life. This 1 secret can ensure you more fulfillment and satisfaction with your life, right now, here today.

This is the secret:

The depth of your gratitude
is directly measured
by the velocity
with which you lose it.
Your stress levels
are directly proportional
to your level of gratitude.

Put quite simply, if you raise your level of gratitude for everything in your life, it will make it much easier for you to manage stress more effectively. Wanting to keep that feeling of gratitude is what keeps you from stressing over the small things and it gives you new energy for tackling the bigger things, too.

How To Manage Stress With A Gratitude Break

Almost 100% of the time, when you are feeling stressed over something, that thing has got so much of your attention that it’s no wonder your not beaming from ear to ear in gratitude. You’re actively looking for solutions to the problem and doing everything you can to solve it. It may sound counter intuitive, but this is actually the best time to take a gratitude break.

If that’s a bit of a stretch for now, then begin by just taking a break….any kind of break. With time, you can turn that ”break time” into a gratitude break. What’s most important right now is that you take the first step by giving yourself some space from your stress.

More often than not, when you focus your attention on something other than the object of your stress, you will feel stress relief. This is essential to learning how to manage stress effectively because it will give you the mental freedom to gain new perspective on whatever was stressful.

Gratitude and laughter therapy enable your mental freedom to stay elastic, open and receptive.

The Right Actions To Manage Stress And Live A Fulfilling Life

Remembering that the depth or sincerity of your gratitude is directly measured by the velocity with which you lose it and that your stress levels are directly proportional to your level of gratitude, you can start today by focusing your energy and actions in a totally different way.

You want to know how to manage stress effectively in order to live a fulfilling life full of satisfaction; not continue with the stressful reactions you’ve had in the past. This is your best reason for trying something new.

Last week I wrote you about the process with which you can turn gratitude into an action verb and gave you several tools to help you jump start this method. Have you tried them yet? If not, there’s no time like the present to start some new direction in your life with some really easy to do steps, so definitely check out: 4 Easy To Apply Powerful Mind Tools.

What actions steps can you take today to keep your gratitude deep? Which new tools will you apply in your discovery of how to manage stress more effectively?

Here’s to your passing the stress test!

Need more guidance?

Do you have a stressful situation that makes it hard to find gratitude in life? Share it in the comments or contact me and we’ll get to the attitude of gratitude together!

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Managing Stress The Easy Way: A How -To Guide

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PTSD and Laughter: Guest Post by Michelle Rosenthal

Posted by admin on March 22, 2012 25 comments

How I Kicked Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Reclaimed My (True) Laugh

Photo: Simon Howden

Many years ago I lost my laugh. Oh, true, I could laugh, but it was a hollow, I’m-laughing-just-because-I-should kind of laugh. You know what I mean, when everyone else is laughing, or the punchline of a joke comes and you know you should [insert laugh here], so you do but you don’t really mean it. I had the kind of laugh that hovered at the back of your mouth but never came from a tickle in your belly.

The reason I had no real laugh was because I lost it unexpectedly. To be honest, it disappeared when I wasn’t looking. In 1981, at the age of thirteen, I survived such a rare, life-threatening illness none of my doctors had ever seen a case. An allergy to a medication turned me into the equivalent of a full body-burn victim almost overnight.

I was released from the hospital after a few weeks. Back at home is when I discovered: My laugh had not come home with me. Prior to my illness I had laughed a lot. Everyone in my family has a terrific sense of humor so laughter was rampant in my family. But in the hospital I had been so terrified and in such enormous pain that somehow my laugh had gone into hibernation. Even as I tried to resume my normal life the laugh would not come out.

How Trauma Holds On

For the next twenty-five years a fake laugh was all I could muster. Something about the hospital experience had left me completely altered. It wasn’t just my laugh that was gone: my ability to relax was gone, too. Suddenly, I was full of fear and anxiety. I stopped sleeping and developed a bad case of insomnia. I began having nightmares. I worried that at any moment something awful would happen to me. I coped with intense emotions by suppressing them into numbness. I couldn’t talk about what happened to me in the hospital. All I wanted was pretend it never occurred at all.

Without knowing it, I sank into a very long and deep state of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Characterized by three categories of symptoms including avoidance, arousal and re-experiencing, PTSD causes a survivor to feel in constant danger. In order to hide my symptoms of fear and anxiety I put in place coping mechanisms designed to keep everyone (including my family) at a distance.

The fact is, the mind is capable of producing 50% more stress than the body can handle. After a decade of coping that involved the addition of strict anorexic behavior, my body began to break down. My immune system weakened, muscles and joints ached; my digestive system and even some organs shifted into a state of deep dysfunction. My primary focus in life became managing my compromised psychological and physical states. Many times my health became so impaired I had to quit my job and stay home to recuperate.

While I saw a slew of therapists and internal medicine specialists, it would not be until 2005 that I would discover the base root of all my problems. The reason my laugh had abandoned me was that I had fallen into the 20% of all trauma survivors who struggle with PTSD. Diagnosis was the beginning of wooing back my laugh.

Overcoming the Past By Laughing in the Present

Me and my dance partner, John

Once I had a name for what ailed me I set out to overcome it. Studies suggest that over 90% of all PTSD cases are wholly treatable. That is, survivors can overcome the effects of trauma and go on to live happy, even joyful, real laughter-filled lives. I decided to be one of them.

While there no single treatment protocol for PTSD, there are a vast number of options. Ranging from traditional methods such as talk therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy to such alternative techniques as Emotional Freedom Technique, hypnosis and Somatic Experiencing, the goal of every survivor’s recovery process is to find professionals they trust and modalities with which they feel safe.

PSTD recovery is challenging. You have to release all of the coping mechanisms you’ve put in place, plus face all of those feelings you’ve worked so hard to suppress. I dove into the work of recovery thinking it would happen right away only to find out that progress happens s-l-o-w-l-y. I reached a day that I was so despondent, so full of despair that I would never be free, that I realized I needed to do something to help me feel otherwise – and fast. I decided that in the midst of all that depression I needed something that would help me feel the opposite: joy. I knew that when I dance I feel transcendent and free. I decided to dance a lot!

I signed up for a dance class every day of the week at a local dance studio. That’s when a funny thing happened: each day I spent an hour or two completely focused on dancing and feeling very happy. It made me feel it was possible for me to be that person again, a woman who was able to feel joy and to smile with authentic pleasure. I started looking forward to every day and the time I would spend on the dance floor. I had no idea how to partner dance; all I’d ever done before was freestyle. Partner dancing means you have to collaborate with someone. The opportunity to make mistakes is huge – and can be terrifically funny. It was on the dance floor, doing this activity that I loved, that my real, true laugh came back.

Over a course of treatment that included many different types of techniques, eventually I did overcome all of my symptoms of PTSD. I am now 100% PTSD-free. I laugh often and am regularly reminded by my mother that my laugh has returned. “There’s the real laugh I remember!” she says gleefully. She’s right, feeling peaceful and joyful has opened my throat so that my laugh now tickles my belly and comes all the way back up.

Michele Rosenthal is a Post-Trauma Coach and the author of Before the World Intruded: Conquering the Past and Creating the Future, A Memoir.

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Managing Stress The Easy Way: A How -To Guide

Posted by author on March 20, 2012 41 comments

Your How To Guide: Manage Stress The Easy Way

Last week, I wrote you a nice post giving you The Top 10 Funniest Websites: How To Laugh Yourself Happy, which I have to admit, really works wonders to get a quick smile on your face! This week, I’d like to start you off with some more resources to help you keep those smiles. There are many ways to learn how to manage stress the easy way, so here’s more for you on that.

Over the weekend, I was really inspired to write you about some easy to use mind tools that we all have, but sometimes forget to practice. This morning I finished that article and I’d like to invite you to take a look at the result of it here: The 1 Action Verb To Take You From Stressed To Refreshed. I’ll tell you now that the action verb is gratitude.

How To Manage Stress With Gratitude

In the article, I explain the difference between using gratitude as the noun that it really is and using it as an action verb, which you can make it. As an action verb, it becomes a fast moving vehicle to take you from one state of mind to another, completely higher level of consciousness. It’s much more powerful than we give it credit for being, and the 4 powerful mind tools you’ll find in that article explain its power with actionable steps which you can take today to get that vehicle driving you in the right direction right now.

There’s really so much to say about the action that this vehicle of movement sets forth that you can surely look forward to closer examination of the details of this type of process in upcoming material. I’ll also make sure to always give you lots of examples and actionable steps that you can take to get you started in the easiest way there is.

Changing Your Personal Beliefs and Inner Belief Systems

Many readers have written to me and also commented here in the blog about advice on changing their belief systems. The power to create effective and life-changing positive affirmations depends largely on your inner belief systems, so the good news is that this is something which you have complete control over. This is such a vital aspect of the key to not only managing stress effectively but also to living your life to the fullest of joy, that I can assure you that I’ll really dedicate a lot of energy in offering you the best resources possible.

Gratitude as an action verb is a fundamental step towards changing your inner belief systems. You can get so many benefits in every aspect of your life from addressing this theme of gratitude in the direction of changing your inner belief systems. All it takes is the decision to start.

Start Where You Are
Do What You Can
Use What You Have
-Arthur Ashe

You don’t have to be a great tennis player like Arthur Ashe to put that saying into action. (Thank goodness for that fact! Ahem….speaking for myself, here) There are people all over the world who have overcome enormous difficulties to rise to the occasion of greatness in their lives. That means that you can do it too.

As a matter of fact, later on this week, I have a compelling guest post planned from an author who has not only survived PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome), but has found many keys to living a joyful life in spite of post traumatic stress.

No matter what your situation is, if the power of the universe has brought you to it, then the power of the universe can get you through it, so I strongly encourage you to stick with it so that you get your rainbow after the storm.

You’re not alone. I will be with you every step of the way to nudge you forward on your journey to victory!

Whatever The Power Of the Universe Brings You To
The Power Of The Universe Can Bring You Through

For today, I will leave you with this little 3 minute video that I really like a lot! The article I started over the weekend and finished today turned out to be really meaty, so I didn’t put this video in with that. Let the words in this video remind you of some basic truths about life we don’t look at, but need to know. It’ll take your perspective on how to manage stress to new heights.

Enjoy it!
How To Let Gratitude Help You Manage Stress
(just clink the link above and it’ll take you to the video.)

Let me close with A HUGE SHOUT OUT OF GRATITUDE TO EACH AND EVERY READER!

Laughs Heal is continually growing and evolving and that’s largely because of YOU and your marvelous support for which I am truly thankful. Thanks to you, today Laughs Heal is shared and read in a community consisting of thousands of people from more than 25 countries and I appreciate each and every one of you!
From my heart,
Kim
Please share your ideas about this post and video in the comments and feel free to ask any questions you might have. It’s always wonderful to engage with you!

Don’t forget to share this with someone you believe it can help.

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How To Manage Stress: Home

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How To Laugh Yourself Happy: The Top 10 Funniest Websites!

Posted by author on March 15, 2012 33 comments

Laugh Yourself Happy:
How To Manage Stress The Easy Way!

As you know, here at Laughs Heal, my focus is to give you healthy, all-natural methods to manage stress more effectively. When discovering how to manage stress, it’s a good idea to look into trying new methods which have proven effectiveness, such as the benefits of laughter in what today we call laughter therapy.

Take a look at the Norman Cousins Story and you know that the power of laughter is no laughing matter. Instead, it’s a powerful proven tool to manage stress and many other ailments, with success. So let’s look at how you can get your belly laugh on!

I’d like for you to know some of the “go-to” websites that really do wonders for a quick pick-me-up. It’s great to be able to log on from anywhere and get instant relief and you can do this as a regular practice, too! In doing so, you will give yourself the fuel you need to make things like keeping a positive attitude and managing stress at work so much more easy to achieve.

You Need 3 Bones in Life:
1. A Wishbone
2. A Backbone
3. A Funnybone

Top 10 Most Popular Funny Websites:
Time To Get Your Belly Laugh On!

These are in no particular order of humor power, it’s all good!

#1. Break

This website really serves you up some hilarious real life happenings that will not only surprise you, they will also tickle your funny bone, too! When you reach for comic relief, don’t forget to check them out. You’ll be glad you did!

#2. Cracked

What I love about this website is its’ interesting angle on everyday things you normally wouldn’t think of. There, they give you a different take on life as we know it and it always gets a laugh with an afterthought, as well. Good fun!

#3. Funny or Die

Whether you’re browsing the funny pictures, the videos that get the wiggle in your giggle or reading the articles with a punch in the punchline, you’re bound to get a boost when flipping through this website. You can find numerous avenues of good laugh tracks!

#4. College Humor

Don’t let the name fool you. Sure, there are many topics which cater to a college crowd, but everyone can find something to get a good belly laugh from on this website. Just hover your cursor over the “I think I’m going to call it a night” phrase from this “25 Phrases and What They Really Mean” and tell me if you cannot relate totally!

#5. The Chive

You cannot help but laugh at the good fun you can find at the chive. Talk about getting your belly laugh on! You are sure to get something that will put some sunshine into any rainy day and the boost to your “feel good hormones”, which will keep you feeling great, too!

#6. 9Gag

From the pictures to the comic strips, you can get a nice chuckle on your way to your belly laugh from this one! I like how the comic strips come up with a totally different punchline than what you’d expect. Definitely worth keeping an eye on!

#7. Some E Cards

I just couldn’t make this list without including some e cards which are also great fun to share! One of the many things I like about this website is that the cards are funny and to the point. You can get your belly laugh on in a matter of minutes and keep it rolling all day!

8. XKCD

If you like comic strips and have a particular penchant for math and language, then this website is made especially for you! Even if math and language aren’t at the top of your list, you can find online comic strips which guarantee you a good laugh!

#9. Fark

Yep, we all know that website’s name rhymes with something else, but what’s particularly funny about what this website does is its’ ability to take well known headlines and turn them into humor. These well known facts from newspapers take on a different meaning when viewed with your funnybone. This offers you a nice way to take a load off and practice your skills on how to manage stress wisely, all in the same beat!

#10. Comedy Central

One of the absolute best ways to practice the art of knowing how to manage stress effectively with the benefits of laughter is to watch some stand up comedy! What I like about this website is the great variety of comedians you can view, all from 1 central location. Even while waiting for the next video, you’ll often find yourself just beaming from ear to ear in joyful anticipation of getting your belly laugh on!

Bonus website #11. I Can Has Cheezbuger

Just the video of the jumping dogs is enough to get tickle your funny bone already! Plus, there are just so many of the cutest pictures on here of animals, with some great captions, too. So, animal lovers and joke lovers alike, this is a great go-to website for you!

You Can Manage Stress The Easy Way Starting Today!

There you have it. Some of the best resources for you to get your belly laugh on and practice good stress management techniques at the same time. If you just aim to surf on over to 1 website a day, that’s great progress for your laugh track. If once a day seems hard to do, start off by dropping by your belly laugh resource once a week. You can do it and get this great habit into your life! Trust me, the benefits of laughter are surely worth it!

Here’s to your “laughing yourself happy” success!

Which is your favorite belly laugh resource? Tell us in the comments!
Please remember to share this with someone who could use a good laugh today!

*Disclaimer: Caution, laughter can be extremely contagious. It is also known to be infectious. It’s uncontrollable ramifications might keep you laughing throughout the day.

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Anti Stress: The 1 Vitamin You Need To Manage Stress Effectively

Posted by author on March 12, 2012 21 comments

How To Manage Stress The Natural Way

Last week, I suggested some tools that you can use when you’ve got a bit of the blues in 7 Tools To Help You Manage Stress When You’re Sluggish.

Today we’re going to look at some of the reasons why you might feel sluggish. I really want to help you get the pep in your step and back into your grove!

For example, at this time of year, it’s quite common to feel the winter blues. Actually, this symptom has been defined as Seasonal Affective Disorder (or S.A.D.) and it’s characterized by feelings of depression and increased feelings of pessimism.

It can actually happen during any of the changing season, yet it’s highly prevalent in the winter.

Discover How To Manage Stress From The Inside Out

One thing you might forget to look at is the amount of natural vitamin resources you’re giving your body during these changing seasons. If you notice that you have a peak of depression, anxiety, and stress most often during the changing of the seasons, then a good all natural way to counteract that effect is to examine the foods you’re putting into your body.

Of the various vitamins that are important to maintain a healthy balance in life, there is 1 vitamin in particular that is known for its stress busting capacities.

In fact, this is the 1 vitamin that has been dubbed the “anti-stress” vitamin because of its powerful capacity to convert food into energy. This is the 1 vitamin you want to be sure not to have a deficiency in so that you are capable of putting your best foot forward.

The 1 Vitamin You Need To Manage Stress Effectively: Vitamin B

The B vitamins have an enormous ability to counteract the effects of fatigue, stress and anxiety and one of the ways they do this is by their influence on the production of serotonin. It’s your level of serotonin that determines the mood you feel and that has a profound impact on your ability to manage stress effectively.

If you want to play cards, you’ll want a full deck. If you want to learn how to manage stress effectively, you’ll want to give yourself all of the natural “feel good” hormones that your body needs. Why play the game of life with half a deck of cards?

Foods Containing High Levels of Vitamin B: The Delicious Way To Manage Stress Effectively

The Anti Stress Vitamin: Top 10 Foods Rich In Vitamin B12

Yogurt
Milk
Sardines
Beef
Salmon
Lamb
Shrimp
Eggs
Halibut
Scallops

The Anti Stress Vitamin: Top 10 Foods Rich In Vitamin B1

Asparagus
Romaine Lettuce
Mushrooms
Spinach
Oranges
Pineapple
Cantaloupe
Grapes
Brussels Sprouts
Tomatoes

The Anti Stress Vitamin: Top 10 Foods Rich In Vitamin B6

Yam
Calf liver
Tuna
Avocado
Onions
Potatoes
Turkey
Leeks
Chicken
Eggplant
Carrots

The Delicious Way To Discover How To Manage Stress More Effectively

Take advantage of nature’s resources and cook yourself up a feast fit for a vitamin king and queen! If you’ve noticed a feeling of sluggishness, fatigue, irritability, nervousness, anxiety which are chief indicators that your stress levelsare higher than normal, then it might be easier than you think to start healing that condition.

These natural anti-stress, vitamin rich foods will help you. Not only will they give you greater capacity to manage stress more effectively, but they will also give you a healthier body, as well.

Here’s to your stress management success!

Which of these foods are going to be on your menu for increased vitamin b this season? Let us know in the comments.
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*Disclaimer: If you decide to take dietary supplements, consult with your doctor first.

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7 Tools To Help You Manage Stress When You’re Sluggish

Posted by author on March 6, 2012 73 comments

How Do You Manage Stress When You’re Feeling Sluggish?

You know that feeling.
When you feel too tired to do anything but rest and relax. It might even be tough to make it out of bed in the morning. You don’t want to do anything, regardless of the to-do list that’s long enough to wrap around continent.

Sure, thinking the right types of thoughts will help you, but if you’re feeling like “you’ve got the blues”, then it’s an uphill battle. Looking for new ways to manage stress effectively is really important at times like these.

I often feel these lethargic moments of sluggishness and fatigue on Mondays. But have you noticed that even a hump-day Wednesday can bring on those feelings of being out of sync with strong energy levels? Recently, I discovered a few tools that really helped.

These tools are designed to get you out of the dumps and back into a more optimistic, energetic view of your week.

How To Manage The Stress of Sluggishness: 7 Tools

1. Take Baby Steps

Accepting that you feel sluggish or have the blues means accepting the way that these facts change your approach to your duties. By deciding that you’re going to take it a little easier with smaller steps, you can allow yourself the time you need to recharge your batteries into more action.

You also protect yourself from expecting too much of yourself until your energy and performance levels are back up to par.

2. Communicate Your Feelings

This is a time when it’s particularly important to remember that those around you do not read your mind. If they’re used to seeing you take on bundles of tasks with vivacious vitality, then they’ve probably come to expect you to be that way most of the time.

Let them know from the start that your energy levels are a bit down and that you’ll be moving at a different pace.

3. Discipline Your Focus To View Good Points

No matter how difficult it might be when you’re down, really discipline yourself to come up with good things you like about yourself and your life. Feeling the blues can easily lead to a spiral flow of downhill energy and the best way to prevent that is to change your view.

A good exercise is to take 10 seconds to come up with 10 things you like in your life. You owe it to yourself to try.

4. Give Yourself Permission To Be Sluggish

Knowing that you are dealing with a temporary state of mind, not a permanent one, let yourself be you. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Pat yourself on the back for being honest with yourself about not feeling 100%.

Give yourself credit for every good effort you are putting in to get yourself out of the dumps. Just realizing that it’s ok, will take a lot of pressure off your shoulders to change. And that makes it easier to change. (ironic, but true)

5. Laugh at yourself

This is truly a great way to get the ball rolling in the right direction! Laughter therapy is a great way to heal whatever ails you and works wonders for blue moods. It’s also been linked with great physical exercise because of all of the muscles it works, not to mention all of the “feel good” hormones it releases.

If laughing isn’t so easy, start with a chuckle, if chuckling doesn’t come easy, start with a smile. (see the TED Talks video on this page for more details on what even a simple smile actually does for you!) The important thing is to just get started in the right direction.

6. Stay As Far Away From Drama As A Vampire From Garlic

Gossip, drama, busy body-ing……all of it takes an incredible amount of energy. It basically drains and weighs on you heavily. When you’re feeling down, you really need all of the good energy you can get so it’s no time to let the drama sap it out of your system.

Treat those situations the way you would treat a badly infectious, contagious disease….go the other way, and stay away.

7. Hold Off On New Commitments

Feeling in the dumps is not the best time to take on new tasks. Even if you’ve always been the one to plan the company picnic or Fridays have always been the night you meet with the guys for the game, give yourself 24 hours to reflect before you take on routine commitments and new commitments as well.

The last thing you need is to feel overwhelmed. But if you take on more commitments when you’re already feeling sluggish, it can make even fun things seem like a chore.

Manage Stress Effectively To Get Over The Hump

These are all good tools to remember when exploring how to manage stress effectively, especially when you might tend to do things out of habit, like most of us.

Rarely do we take the time to sit down and re evaluate the duties we’ve had and how we’ve carried them out, so whether it’s the Monday morning blues or a yearning for spring, we tend to keep a lot of habits and view them as normal.

These tools will help you to review those habits because chances are, you’ve grown and changed since you first made them.

What do you do when you get in the dumps? Share it with us in the comments!

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3 Keys You Need To Remember Before Making Decisions

Posted by author on February 29, 2012 32 comments

3 Keys To Good Decision Making

Why is the decision making process such a chore? Most likely because we tend to think that the decision will irrevocably affect the rest of our lives. Thank goodness that’s not always the case. But nonetheless, you can gain a lot from streamlining your decision making process and that’s fundamental in learning how to manage stress effectively.

Even the slightest decision over what to wear for the day can be stressful, especially if you’re also dealing with closet clutter. So how much more mental energy is required when you have to decide on bigger and more important matters? Try these keys to make that process easier for yourself.

Here Are 3 Keys To Remember Before Making Decisions:

1. Apply The Right Framing

Let’s take the analogy of taking a picture. When you look through the lens of the camera, you try to see if the frame is too small or too wide. You check to make sure your focus is where you want it, right?

Now let’s apply that to your decision making process. Do you use a narrow frame when you look at the decision? What do you do to step back in order to see the wider perspective? Sometimes the culprit of the decision making process simply seeing the picture in too narrow or too wide a frame.

With the application of the right framing, you want to take 1 zoom in and 1 zoom out to see the decision more clearly. You want to keep your overall objectives in that picture frame while zooming.

2. Implement Innovative Alternatives

You might have your own preferred idea about the decision to be made, yet keeping an open mind keeps your possibilities for growth open, too. This decision might be the opportunity for you to think out of the box like a pro so brainstorming ideas with an open mind is an asset. You might forget this in the decision making process because it’s natural to think in your regular patterns of thought.

Try to explore your creative side. Let your preferred decision sit for a minute so that your creative side can bring forth new ideas. This also helps you in practicing how to manage stress with new methods.

For example, let’s take a big decision that you are facing and say you’ve already got your first idea in place. With this principle in mind, you’re going to put that first choice on the burner for a moment, and instead, get your creativity flowing first. A good exercise would be to take the decision and write it out with 4 different ideas. Using a mind map is a really effective tool for this exercise.

3. Keep Your Core Values = You Can Be Happy Either Way

Your core values are highest on your list, so no matter which decisions you make, if they are always in harmony with your core values, then you’ll always be able to be happy about them either way.

One thing is for sure, the power to choose is yours. So if your decision is a reflection of your core values, then you’ll always walk away a winner.

Take a moment and reflect on the things that are most important to you. The key to understanding yourself is to know and understand what you want. Your ideas about life tend to change as you go through life, so it’s always a good idea to examine if or how your core values have changed, as well.

The decisions you made even a year ago, were the result of your consciousness at that time, but haven’t you done a lot of different things in the last 365 days? Use the new input to evaluate your growth and step into your new shoes of the decision making process.

Streamlining your decision making process gives you the wonderful opportunity to do that.

Try these 3 keys to unlock the door of your new possibilities with your decision making process. Discovering how to manage stress effectively encompasses even the most stressful processes, like decision making. But with the ability to zoom effectively, embrace creativity and your core values as they evolve, you will find it easier to approach the decision making process with more tranquility.

Here’s to your decision making success!

What’s the most difficult aspect of making decisions that you face? Let’s about it and ask any questions you might have in the comments section!

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P.S. I usually don’t post on consecutive days in order to give you more time to let my previous post melt in, but today only happens once every 4 years, so HAPPY LEAP YEAR!

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How To Manage Stress To Gain Success: 10 Benefits From A Case Study and A Formula

Posted by author on February 28, 2012 56 comments

How To Manage Stress To Gain Success: 10 Benefits From A Case Study and A Formula

I knew I wanted things to be different, but wasn’t sure how to go about getting those different results. Have you ever felt this way about things in your life? If so, then this case study and resulting formula, which yields at least 10 major benefits, will help you.

To begin with, here’s a bit of background information. Knowing how to manage stress effectively and practicing ways of managing stress effectively are two very different things. I know that all habits, both the good and the not so good, begin with the human mind and all actions are simply a result of that beginning. With this knowledge, I set out to make a change in both areas:

The Inner: Mind

And

The Outer: Habits

You see, too often, there seems to be a conflict going on between the inner and the outer. To me, it feels something like an tug of war.
The mind comes up with so many great ideas to incorporate and that’s great…just until it’s time to try them.
Then I would find how hard it is to break old, stubborn habits!
I’m talking habits so stubborn to break that they make becoming a black belt in karate just to learn how to break cement actually seem quite easy in comparison.

There were 2 areas that I saw needed improvement:

The first was a Twitter membership that I’d opened over a year ago. I’d done very little to cultivate its growth. To be honest with you, I hadn’t much understood how it worked when I started my membership, so I just kind of let it sit there.
Second, I’ve had years of weight gain around the holiday season. But by the end of 2011, I knew I didn’t want to see the same results from the same habits in January 2012.

The Case Study

So I based this case study around 2 main goals:

1. Social media growth. Twitter was the only main focus, but later you’ll see how this goal inadvertently included Facebook and Klout. My goal was to gain at least 1,000 Twitter followers who are related to my interests in life.

2. Weight increase during holiday time. My goal was to not have the big fluctuations in size that I’d always had in the past. I wanted to be able to fit my clothes in January without hearing the sound of my buttons popping faster than the way popcorn pops in a hot skillet.

These 2 areas have nothing to do with each other, but their bond was that both areas needed a big change in habits.

I began this challenge around November of 2011 with 123 followers on Twitter (yep, you guessed it, mom, dad, siblings, cousins, etc…), and a rather stable weight. Although I must admit, I’ve always battled with the weight gaining blues, so making it over the holiday hump was not going to be easy. I’m the type who’d rather jump out of a plane than give up delicious holiday food!

So, I did some research and to cut a very long story short, I found some great articles in publications like The Science Daily, such as creative visualization for better eating habits and also creative visualization for goal accomplishment.

In addition, I’d heard about the Harvard University study made on 2 groups: 1 group who only visualized playing the piano and the other group who actually studied on pianos. I have to admit, I was astonished by the facts that I read everywhere, especially what I found here.

Actually, I found more proof and facts than space would permit me to publish in this post.

Science had actually proven the correlation between what you see in your mind and the experiences that those images lead you to live in your outer world. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been a fact seeker. Not that I don’t believe testimonies like Erin Henry’s powerful story of how positive affirmations can change your life, but if science can back up these ideas, all the better!

The Formula

All of this is what lead me discover this formula that I’d like to share with you:

DECIPHER YOUR CODE +
APPLY IT =
THE PIGS START FLYING!

Practicing How To Manage Stress The Right Way Is How You Get The Pigs Flying In Your Life

Have you ever heard that expression “I’ll believe that when I see pigs fly”?
If there are situations where you feel like it’s more probable to see pigs fly, then know that from today on, you can get the “pigs flying” in your life. You have the power within you to learn how to manage stress effectively and accomplish more than you can imagine.

I sure felt like it would be easier to see pigs fly rather than get the big changes I wanted to see in the results of the objectives of this case study. Time had shown me that no matter what diet I tried before the holidays, I would always have to hold my breath just to fit into my clothes come January. On the other hand, with Twitter, I didn’t even have a clue as to how that platform worked.

So these were both, very challenging areas.

But something odd happened. In researching so many different facts, I discovered something I’ll call “deciphering your code”. So just what is deciphering your code and how can it help you?

How To Decipher Your Code and Apply It

To decipher your code is to gather all of the good images and emotions from great moments of success in your life. Those are the moments that you have already deciphered your code for success. Those are the moments that you’ve tasted victory! Then you apply your success code by retaining those images in your mind like a DVD.

Finding those moments of victory is a really simple and fun exercise!

Simply ponder on anything victorious in your life. It can be anything, like: the feelings you had when you got your first driver’s license, or the feelings you had when you completed your first job successfully or even the video game you won last night.
Then you apply it by playing through these moments of success in your life, as if you’re watching a DVD in your mind. This is the DVD that you will apply to your daily activities.

Referring back to the beginning of this post, we discussed where habits begin…in the mind. So to reprogram your habits more easily, you can start by placing different thoughts in your mind. This is what changed my results surrounding the objectives of this case study…..but I discovered so much more….

Many people are participants aboard the ship of your life,

but you have the power to steer your vessel to

set new waves of energy throughout the ocean.

You see, you have more power within you to change any situation in your life than anyone else in the world. You may deal with irate bosses, uncooperative colleagues and many other family situations which make teamwork a challenge, but while those people may be members on the ship of your life, no one has the power to steer that vessel like you can.

By playing through the DVD of your success code, you are steering your vessel through your emotional level of victory. This is the point from which you want to project energy onto your new challenges. Projecting energy from your emotional level of victory is a powerful action that sets new waves of energy in the ocean of your experiences.

Try this in the morning: when you wake up, take a minute to remember a moment of victory before you get out of bed. When I did this, what happened was, it changed the feelings I had while getting out of bed, as well as my vision towards the day. I found it easier to wake up with a smile and start the day with a better mood. I got those benefits even after nights when I had not slept the amount of hours I prefer to sleep.

Throughout the day, try this: simply continue taking a minute here and there to “see” the victorious moments of your success code DVD. When you do this, it gives you a better perspective on your current objectives. Then comes the momentum, which gives you even more positive energy to produce new results.

If you take even as little as 2 minutes at different intervals throughout your day to review your DVD, this will remind you that “you did it!”. That’s the type of energy you need. The more you play your DVD throughout the day, the more powerful the projection of energy you gain. Focusing on that energy before performing routine habits will give you a new plan for changing them.

When discovering how to manage stress with new methods, you set a wonderful metamorphosis into action by playing this success code DVD through your mind. New habits like practicing the 3 P’s with positive self-talk become easier to grasp.

How Your Deciphered Code Sets Your New Trail To Blazing With Vitality

The 10 Benefits

If you regularly play your mental DVD of your deciphered success code, you’ll notice yourself getting these 10 big benefits:

Strong Motivation
Increased Energy
Powerful Momentum
Success Over Negativity
Inner Direction and Guidance
Focus and Concentration
Feelings of Fulfillment
Feelings of Accomplishment
Insight, Inspiration and Intuitiveness
New Belief Systems

Case Study Results

I played my DVD through at least 3 times a day, spending just minutes reliving those great moments.

As a result, I noticed that I wasn’t going overboard on the delicacies during the holiday parties and even new information on how to build a twitter following, all of a sudden, became visible.

I’m pretty sure they were always there, but with the negative energy of confusion about how Twitter worked, I probably hadn’t really seen them. Just like the willpower to turn down overloading on special holiday treats was always present, but it had most likely eluded me because I hadn’t considered changing that habit from its root…from within my mind, first.
(and no, I didn’t starve through the holidays, either! )

With the new clarity I got, I knew which twitter services would help me to gain real followers who were truly related to my interests in life. I also got great insight to easily see through the “fast follower” unethical schemes which wouldn’t have added any value to my goal of building relationships with people who share my interests in life .

Consequently, my Facebook and Klout numbers increased, as well. Those were just by-products from my Twitter membership though. It was like getting an extra bonus from the formula because I hadn’t even focused on changing those results.

From the new energy levels I got, I found myself taking healthier actions with my eating habits and exercise. My new habits were in harmony with the new body images that were being created in my mind. In essence, I saw a completely different plan of action to execute and got the momentum I needed to execute that new plan of action from applying this formula throughout my day.

How Do You Change Your Inner Belief Systems?

Readers have written in asking “how do you change your belief systems?” Filling your mind with healthy images of yourself is surely a very well-proven, well-tested method for achieving that goal.

In fact, creative visualization as a practice, has been working for millions of people across the planet for many, many years.

Yet, sometimes you might not have such a clear idea of exactly what you want to visualize. With the process of tapping into to your emotional energy levels of success, you also get new images of how success looks to you as you grow forth. That’s one of the special things about deciphering your code that I discovered in this case study.

TAP INTO YOUR DECIPHERED

SUCCESS CODE FOR

CLARITY

This method of tapping into your previously claimed, achieved victory works great if you have vague ideas about general areas where you would like to see improvement, as well. Those areas where you might not necessarily have a clear picture of how you would like the end result to look, but you just know you want a change.

Your unique DVD works by continually keeping your mind and your highest emotional energy levels focused in the right direction. Then this formula gives you more clarity to see how to keep your life in the direction of your DVD. This is how belief systems are created…..and modified: through your emotions.

These powerful self-images make a valuable difference in the ocean of your life experiences. Those facts and findings are also part of what brought me to the conclusions found in the post positive affirmations will not work for you, unless….. These are the exact self-images that distinguish the difference between the two sets of people in that post.

How To Manage Stress With More Focus On Your Success

To get the pigs flying in your life, it’s important for you to know how to manage stress effectively and practice those good habits.

Playing your unique DVD through your mind on a daily basis, you will also be keeping your mind further away from stressful issues and more focused on your power to achieve new goals.

Positive energy begets positive energy.

So do yourself a favor and try this formula for your success over stress with your objectives.
Pick 2 areas where you’d like to see a change, then pick 3 moments during the day where you’ll set aside 2 minutes to practice your new formula for achieving those objectives. You’ll notice a difference in your approach towards your objectives by projecting from success, not defeat, in even as little as 7 days.

When my friends saw me in January, they actually thought I had lost weight over the holidays. (Sure….kind of makes me wonder what they were used to seeing me look like in January , and ever so thankful that I had changed that pattern! ) And today, my social media memberships have grown more than I had expected.

Successful stress management means successful self-management and it all begins with your mind. Beginning your day with your deciphered code of success trains your mind to start the day without carrying over the weight of yesterday. This formula helps you to start from your successful mental state of mind, instead of worries, complaints, or fears.

This helps you to stay in the positive flow of practicing how to manage stress effectively and this action keeps you from the stumbling blocks of the past. The greatest images of yesterday that you keep constant in your mind are the good yesterdays of your deciphered code of success, and that’s the best way to set the waves of the ocean on course for a better tomorrow!

Here’s to your managing stress more effectively with your new formula!

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4 Tips: How To Manage Stress With Healing Words (Plus 8 Benefits!)

Posted by author on February 24, 2012 41 comments

How To Manage Stress With Healing Words: 4 Tips/ 8 Benefits

This is the real life story of a friend of mine who has chosen to remain anonymous, but would like to share how she discovered the power of healing words that not only showed her how to manage stress effectively, but also gave her a dramatically different level of new quality in life.

I was full of anxiety, tension and stress after finding out. To add to that, there was the notion that I would have to share this news with my family. This only heightened my already tense nerves.

I did not want to accept the diagnosis that I had been given. I’ve always wanted to live life to the fullest.

You see, I had been diagnosed with a fatal disease, but I was determined not to go down without a fight.

So, after telling my family about my condition, I got up, opened my laptop and wrote: The Second Half of My Life.

How To Manage Stress With Creative Action

After I finishing writing that, I then decided to write about all of the twists and turns that I had experienced in my life. I wrote a lot. I also opened the internet everyday to read about other people with my condition. I continued this activity for over a year, every single day.

Through all of this, I discovered one of the greatest ways to practice managing stress in a positive manner.

I discovered that my regular writing had become one of the greatest reliefs from the anxiety, tension and stress. Journaling was helping me to live my life to the fullest every day.

Because of journaling, I was learning how to manage stress over my diagnosis without having to go into a long, deep, dark depression, as would have been expected. Instead, what I did was to try in the best way that I could, to put every bit of sense into everything that I wrote. This lead me to find inspiration and strength through my experiences, instead of sorrow and self-pity.

The Benefits Of Creativity and Expression

As I was going along in my research of others with similar conditions, I found out how they accessed effective stress management techniques. I stumbled upon the works of Dr. James Pennebaker, who is chairman and professor of the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas, and author of the book Writing to Heal: A guided journal for recovering from trauma & emotional upheaval.

In his more than 20 years of helping people to overcome the pain, struggle and stress in their lives, he found some results that surprised me.

When he asked people to write for 15-20 minutes a day for 4 days, people received these benefits:

Stronger Immune Systems
Better and Deeper Sleep/Rest
Greater Ability In Social Circles
Improved Overall Health and Well Being
Enhanced Perception and Ability To Evaluate Life
Vision To See How To Use Language As A Healing Tool
Improved Capacity To Think About More Than One Ting At A Time
Students Saw Their Grades Improved

Why I Needed These Benefits and What I Did To Get Them

In his works, I found out that there is a relationship between people who had a traumatic experience and the proportion to which these people haad an increasing number of health issues. Reading Dr. Pennebaker’s works showed me how holding back secrets can affect one’s life.
One of the many things I learned to practice in my writing, was to make sure I had constant usage of words like:

Love | Joy | Happy

For example, in managing stress effectively, it is better to for you to say that you are not happy rather than writing about how sad you are. I learned that there’s a huge difference between saying “I’m not happy with the way my relatives treat me” or saying “I’m really sad about the way my relatives treat me”.

Likewise, writing “I want more joy in my life” is better than writing “my life is dull or unsatisfying”; “I’m looking to find more love” is better than writing “Why do I always find people who treat me badly?”.

4 Tips For Your Creative Journey

An important factor in writing your story is that it has to have an element of reflection towards yourself.
Here are some guidelines in writing that will help you:

Describe your thoughts and feelings towards your experiences. Be a detailed as you can so you can get to your core feelings.
Write about how you reacted when something happened in your life. Your reactions are important to observe.
When you begin to write, let all of your thoughts and feelings flow without thinking of how they appear. This is not an exam you have to hand in.
Read your finished writing and then take a few minutes to simply reflect on how it makes you feel. This will help you to define your state of mind and your improvement a lot better.

With these guidelines, my writings became more automatic. Nowadays, I write everything that comes to my mind and remember those parameters automatically because I practice them and keep them by my pc.

As time has passed I’ve begun to realize that I too, get a great deal of relief from expressing all of my thoughts through my journaling. I found that it was a huge stress relief for me and a good way to let every unsaid thought come out in the open with no barriers, boundaries or fears.

I no longer have to hide my emotions or smother my feelings under a complacent smile. What an immense joy that discovery is for my life today.

I hope it gives you great joy, too.

What an inspiration it was for me to read her words. I wish to thank my friend for stopping by to share this inspiration with us today. I’m continually discovering wonderful new methods on how to manage stress effectively. I also believe that Dr. Pennebaker’s methods not only offer you a great way to to use healing words to relieve tension and stress, but that this can also help heal your life, as well.

If you’d like some more tips on some great healing methods, then drop by 8 Healthy Solutions To Help You Manage Stress Effectively and take your pick from some fun ideas!

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How To Manage Stress For Young Girls? Empower Them With New Video Resources!

Posted by author on February 21, 2012 26 comments

How To Manage Stress: Something Special For Young Girls

A New Way To Empower Young Girls Online

Once upon a time there was a young girl who possessed great talent in singing. Her only problem was that she was afraid to be in front of the camera and she did not know how to manage stress effectively. So her solution was to cover her face with a towel and sing her heart out underneath it.

Today, there is a better solution.

This young girl was encouraged and nurtured by a special group of her peers, found at a new social gaming site called Sweety High. She was given help and courage by her peers, and through this, came out of her nutshell. Subsequently, that little girl discovered how to come out of her comfort zone and she actually faced the camera, too.

A Community Helping Kids Learn To How To Manage Stress Effectively

Sweety High is an online community that aims to help all the teens to manage stress effectively. It’s a valuable resource for girls 8 to 16 years old, especially in this age of bullying. It is also a fun online gaming site that lets the girls accumulate points and rewards to make their experience there more refreshing and exciting.

Sweety High’s co-founder, Veronica Zelle is greatly inspired and thankful for the benefit her site gives to teens. She’s gratified by her participation in making a safe online sanctuary for tweens and teens. Precaution is also a necessary act to follow in order to maintain order and prevent cyber bullying. This for sure would helps parents to feel feel secure about their children’s activity online.

I recently read an article in Child Development which addressed a very real problem that we as a society face with the obsession kids have with online video games. In this article, video game addiction as a stress management tool was uncovered. When taken too far, video game addiction can be just as destructive to the community as any addiction, and we’ve all read the stories in the newspapers which vividly illustrate that fact.

This is why a healthy solution of online games with a foundation based on empowering and strengthening youngsters is so important and why I wanted to share this discovery with you today.

A Place Where Video Games Are Safe and Healthy

I think the games that they have created online will be a big hit to all the teens out there, as the ones currently taking advantage of these benefits will tell you. They have made it a point to make girls find the creative side of them while also getting rewarded while doing so. The site was made for girls only mainly because girls get to encourage each other every time they get together, most especially when in a creative environment.

Teen girls are also learning how to manage stress with the help of their best buddies. Sweety High also serves as a stress relief center for girls who have problems coping on the outside world. It implements stress management techniques so as to make the girls feel much better about themselves and the world around them.

A Way To Counteract The Stress Of Bullying

During this age, when some may encounter bullying which may be a result from having girls get together with groups of boys, it’s especially important that these girls know they have somewhere where they can turn for help. Girls at this age may not know how to act properly when they are around boys and they
might even react in somewhat of a different manner from their usual selves.

Upon playing one of their online games, the girls get to earn hearts as a form of currency every time they move from one level to another. This is particularly symbolic. They also get to vote for that one girl of who they think deserves their support in a contest or for her creativity. Upon voting, they are giving
up their hearts that in turn gets to be accumulated on a karma bank that gives them a chance to win amazing prizes. It’s a total win-win situation and the girls love it!

Sweety High teens also enjoy the liberty of uploading and posting their beautiful creations like writing, photography, videos, and artwork online that will not just showcase their talent and help them express the courage in showcasing it, but also give them yet another chance to win fabulous prizes.

I learned that one of the participants even won the grand prize from a contest where she was allowed to spend one whole day with the world renowned musician Greyson Chance. She was also given the chance to participate and perform on one of his musical concerts, too.

The virtue that the makers of Sweety High works on is truly a refreshing way of helping young girls, most especially teens, to see their potential and embrace their innate talents. They get to learn from an early age on exactly how to manage stress effectively to overcome their fears and access victory!

Sweety High helps in fulfilling their every wish and inspiring them to make the best of what they have. It gives young girls a great way to feel empowered, courageous and victorious and these are the qualities that will serve them well throughout their lives!

Here’s to successful stress management for kids!

You can find more links to assist you here: Great stress management tools: links

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Positive Affirmations Will Not Work For You, Unless ….

Posted by author on February 16, 2012 65 comments

Positive Affirmations Will Not Work For You, Unless…

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always thought that positive affirmations could work for everybody.

Sadly, that is not the case.

I have friends who I hear saying positive things about themselves, while achieving positive results in their lives.

I also have friends who I hear saying positive things about themselves while sadly, getting little to no positive results in their lives.

What’s the big difference between these groups people?

Why Positive Affirmations Work For Some People But Not All People

The difference is that people who I see getting results are the ones who actually believe that those results are truly possible for them, whereas the one’s who don’t get the results, have a belief system which counteracts all of the hard work they do in using positive affirmations.

When in the process of discovering how to manage stress effectively, it is extremely important to understand these differences in order to access your personal power through positive affirmations, most effectively.

You’ll find it helpful to examine these types of differences concerning those important areas of your life in order to see where it’s difficult to use positive affirmations effectively.

Positive Affirmations and Perception

Earlier, we talked about how to manage stress through your perception and showed you examples of how your attitude defines your perception and how your perception then shapes your reality.

So to use positive affirmations effectively towards enhancing your life, it’s fundamental that your attitude about your life be positive, as well. It’s crucial that your inner belief systems agree with whatever you use your positive affirmations to achieve.

Here’s an example of a good way to shape your positive affirmations:

“I don’t get stressed with deadlines at work”.

Your inner belief system might not believe that, especially if you tend to procrastinate or have organizational challenges.

Instead, you could try:

“I’m finding better ways to end procrastination and organize my work, so that I can manage stress with deadlines effectively”.

That might be closer to your belief system’s acceptance and can more easily motivate you to try a better approach. That type of hurdle is not too high to jump over, whereas the first example gives you the highest hurdles, from the start.

By shaping your positive affirmations differently you also help yourself to discover how to manage stress effectively.

Reach For The Positive Affirmations That Are Closest To You

Instead of “I’m going to the gym 3 times a week”; try “I’m implementing healthy exercises into my regular routines”.

Instead of “I’m going to lose 20 pounds by the summer”; try “I’m using a good weight loss plan that’s helping me to lose X amount of pounds a month”.

Instead of “I’m going to get a promotion and a raise within 3 months “; try “I’m bringing new quality to my work that will enable me to reach greater heights”.

These types of positive affirmations also keep you focused on your skills and possibilities in life, instead of focusing on the actions and reactions of others.
I think we’ve all seen people focus so much on improving their skills that instead of a promotion, they got a better job, which was an extra benefit gained from their increased capacities!

Once you have found the more easily attainable ideas for your belief system to grasp, you will gain the necessary momentum and energy to really get the most out of positive affirmations.

It’s that energy and momentum that you will use to quantify your actionable steps towards achieving your goals with much less stress.

What Positive Affirmations Do and What They Don’t

Positive affirmations won’t change your mind about who you believe yourself to be deep down in your heart.
But they are designed to help you create the person you’d like to be by taking one step at a time.

By starting with the smaller, more believable steps, you can truly “say it loud and say it proud” when using your positive affirmations. Then you can move on to the bigger chunks.

It’s by believing what you focus your positive affirmations on at some deep emotional level, that your actionable steps towards that level of fulfillment will be steps that you can really wrap your mind around.

This is the difference between those who affirm and get results and those who affirm but don’t get results.

After you’ve identified the ideas that are closest to your reach, you will be able to effectively apply the techniques on the website much more effectively. This information includes:

Affirmations

How To Use Positive Affirmations

Positive Self-Talk

All of the powerful information that these industry leaders offer you.

Here’s to your success with positive affirmations!

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3 Tips For A Great Valentine’s Day! Celebrate YOU!

Posted by author on February 13, 2012 27 comments

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today is the day of one of the sweetest celebrations of the year, Valentine’s Day.

It’s a time to celebrate love, a time to celebrate compassion, a time to celebrate respect.

Many people who are involved in this wonderful time to celebrate can make it a time to celebrate themselves as well.

Why?

Because although many times, celebratory moments can be stressful when searching for the right gift, the right card and remembering to not forget anyone, when you know how to manage stress, you can let this be a a time for your pure celebration of love……stress-free!

While surfing the web, I’ve uncovered some rather particular celebratory ideas which really stood out. For example, over at Your Tango, a digital media company dedicated to love and relationships, I found it quite interesting that their resident love expert, Melanie Gorman was loving sent a love poem for Valentine’s Day because usually we tend to think of celebrating Valentine’s Day with those closest to us. (i.r.l.)

These types of random acts of kindness are surely appreciated by the recipients, yet it’s often the giver of these random acts of kindness who receives the greatest benefit.

In a different example, maybe you’d like to be whisked away by exotic travel to a new romantic destination. If so, then the CNN report will show you exotic travel locations worth making plans to visit with your significant other. They’ve given you 10 Sweetest Places For A Valentine’s Proposal and I can assure you that those are 10 of the most wonderful places to take your significant other even if you’re not proposing!

However, with all that you will be doing during on this sweet holiday, I would like for you to remember the first place for you to direct your love, compassion and respect.

Remember to honor YOURSELF for this Valentine’s Day!

Since our focus here at Laughs Heal is on showing you how to manage stress effectively through the use of non toxic, non invasive, all natural methods like laughter therapy, among others, I think it’s important for you to remember to make a date with yourself, as well.

Here are some ideas of things you can do to show your love for yourself, which also do wonders to lower your stress levels and enhance your feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment with your life:

3 Tips For A Great Valentine’s Day: Discovering How To Manage Stress

1. Set a date with YOU at your favorite coffee shop, trendy restaurant, or cozy spot at home.

Here is where you will indulge yourself in not only eating your tastiest treats with your favorite warm beverage, but you will also take a “Time Out” from external disturbances.
Use this time to read your favorite magazines, inspirational stories, or books. Nurture yourself during this private time and lavish yourself with the stories that add vitality to your thinking process.

2. Write yourself a love letter.

Yes, write down the things you really love about yourself! The more specific you can be, the better. Then seal this love letter away in some special place you might call “your rainy day” spot. This is the letter you will open and read when you are feeling down. I’ve done this many times and found that it really helps you to keep an open mind when things “aren’t so smooth”. It will help you to remember all of the good things about yourself when you really need some fast positive energy.

3. Dance!

Get your favorite playlist together and go to a room where you can be alone and not weary of who sees you. Then pump up the volume and dance yourself happy! Dancing is a great aerobic activity and through this process, endorphins are released.
Endorphins do you a lot of good because they act as neurotransmitters which tell your brain and your body that you are happy. Essentially, your dancing with yourself, alone, where you don’t have to worry of how others view your dancing skills, will lift your spirits and chemically give you a sense of well-being, happiness and joy!
If you like Wii, then try this to get you going: Just Dance 3

In closing, I will leave you with a beautiful poem by one of my favorites, Lord Byron. This marvelous piece of work is brought to you by The Poetry Foundation and you might want to check it out if you’d like to wow your significant other with a romantic poem.

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow’d to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair’d the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

- Lord Byron

Here’s to your Valentine’s Day success, pleasure and joy!

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How To Manage Stress: HOME

Managing Stress The Easy Way: A How -To Guide

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10 Tips: How to Manage Stress and Improve The Quality of Your Life

Posted by author on February 10, 2012 95 comments

How To Manage Stress Effectively To Improve The Quality of Your Life

You are aware of the fact that your life can improve greatly by reducing stress and gaining the benefits of effective stress relief, but how do you start? Easy, you look at how you are managing stress in your life today by examining information like this.

You’re in the right place and on the right path because simply seeking this type of stress management growth is the first, most important step towards getting these benefits into your life.

With the right stress management techniques, you can deal with difficult situations much more productively and improve the overall quality of your life dramatically.

10 Tips to Improve The Quality of Your Life and Reduce Stress Now:

1. Stop Complaining.

Facts have proven that complaining does not help improve situations. Frankly, complaining actually creates feelings of powerlessness which can only increase, rather than decrease your stress levels.

2. Start Resolving.

Seek productive solutions. Discover what you can improve within yourself. Work with others in your situation to attempt to find the root cause of the problem rather than letting complaints stop the process of solution finding.

When you take action to fix the problem, it will not only eliminate the stress associated with that problem but it will also eliminate your feelings of helplessness, which are created by complaining.

3. Stop Whining.

Whining feeds the feelings of being a victim . It also increases your anger, which would lead to a great need for anger management.

Nearly everyone feels they’ve been treated unfairly at some point in their life, but there comes a time when it’s important to just let go, get off the fence and move on.

Whining specifically gives those around you a reason to see you as inadequate and treat you that way. It often has the opposite effect of what you really desire because it causes loss of respect and loss of self-esteem.

4. Start Empowering.

You can strengthen your self-esteem speaking confidently about yourself. Pay attention to the dynamics of your voice and nip those whines in the bud! When you speak with an assertive tone to yourself & those around you. That is extremely effective if you would like to regain the power that whining diminishes.

Practice confidence and you will be confident.
End this vicious circle of whining by viewing your situation and taking a proactive approach towards finding a solution.
CNN published a fascinating article about overcoming complaining and whining through a “taking a venting fast”, so try some of these solutions to help.

5. Stop Blaming Others.

Blaming others is a natural response to many different situations however, it causes more need for stress management techniques, rather than diminishing them. Shifting the focus of a negative experience away from yourself seems natural but it’s not the most productive way to solve problems and it only prolongs agony and feelings of loss of control.

6. Start Taking Control.

Taking control of your life puts you back in the driver’s seat. This is important for you if you would like to regain the power you let slip through your fingers when you blamed others. Taking control will give you a new vision and new resources for greater solutions.

This type of action demonstrates your confidence and your reliability. Others will be more likely to trust you with more responsibility once they see your capacity to take control instead of placing blame.

7. Stop Procrastinating.

Procrastination is cited by many people as a huge problem. However, remember that by putting things off until the last minute, you are effectively creating additional stress in your life. This is an area where effective stress management techniques will do you a world of good and make a huge difference in your happiness in life.

8. Start Planning.

One of the greatest ways that you can learn how to manage stress effectively is to learn how to plan effectively. I struggle with this myself, so I wrote The Only 5 Letter Word You Need To Overcome Procrastination and shared an effective system that can help you.

Giving yourself extra time to complete a project will offer you a good buffer to reduce stress.

9. Stop Harboring Negativity.

Everyone has been treated unfairly or been wronged in some way in their life but holding on to the negative feelings associated with this is unhealthy. It’s also one of the fastest ways to block your vision from seeing the quality of life that you can efficiently access.

Negative feelings reinforce the habits which lead to the practice of tips #1,3,5, &7.

How many times have you seen something start out as:

“I’m so tired of being overweight” (#1).
Then go to “Why do so many people have a fast metabolism while I’m stuck with a slow metabolism” (#3). Then before you know it, it’s become “Well it’s my supervisor’s fault because with these hours, I don’t have time to make nutritious meals!” (#5).

All of these cycles require precious time and great energy, which leads to the procrastination we find in tip #7.
By implementing steps #2, #4, #6, #8 & this next tip, #10, you give yourself 5 concrete paths to change “being overweight” and discover new, easy to prepare delicious food!

10. Start Accepting New Ideas.

By letting go of grudges and negativity and you’ll have so much more free time to make important improvements. Use this new free time wisely by going about the same issues you’ve seen as patterns in your life, but with new ideas and resources with which to conquer them.

If you would like an in-depth look into how to manage stress with decision making and problem solving then you will find a vast resource of additional information by clicking that link which will take you to The Free Management Library.

In closing…

You’d be surprised at how much difference you can see in changing your stress levels with new stress management techniques. The breath of fresh air that new ideas and new methods bring will also get you unstuck from the past habits which only kept you in the cycle of those past habits. This is crucial in learning how to manage stress effectively.

By implementing these 10 stress management techniques you’ll be able to get immediate results. These are extremely important for improving the quality of your life and let’s face it, when you improve the quality of your life, you improve the quality of the time you share with those you love.

Let us know if you’ve there’s anything you particularly identified with in this post or if there’s something you’d like to see covered in more detail by commenting. I also invite you to ask any questions you might have.

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Here’s to your stress management success!

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5 BEST Ways To Ruin Your Career Fast! FAIL How To Manage Stress 101

Posted by author on February 7, 2012 31 comments

How To Manage Stress At Work: Planning For Success

When planning for success in your career, it’s just as important to remember what not to do as it is for you to remember what to be sure to do.

So I thought I’d prepare a 5 point list of ideas to help you, but with a touch of irony and a dash of satire.

Besides, continually moving up the ladder of success can be so dull and so boring. After all, who really wants to live their dreams anyway?

This society places way to much emphasis on vitality, high hopes and enthusiasm for life!

Why take the high road when the low road is so much more fun?

Well, if it’s the low road you aim to achieve in life, then here’s your very own plan for success:
*Disclaimer: Do Not Take This Seriously

5 BEST Ways to Ruin Your Career Fast!

1. Never try new things.

All of those people out there trying to improve themselves waste an incredible amount of time which could be better spent going to the bar, lounging in front of the tv, or better yet, doing both!

Being successful in your career is way overrated. It’s much more fun to just stay where you are, rather than read from top resources like Job-Acle and Business Insider.

2. Be sure to continually argue with as many people as you possibly can.

Peace and serenity are overrated, too.
Colleagues who don’t understand your point of view are simply WRONG. Only the people who agree with you are the ones worth listening to anyhow. Besides, putting in a tiny bit of effort to implement good conflict management skills would only take time away from all of the fun to be had while practicing tip #1. to perfection!

3. Speak as badly about yourself as you can, to everyone you encounter, as often as possible.

Who actually believes words written by people like Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare, trying to get us to believe silly little things like “Many a true word is spoken in jest”!?

Positive self-talk is only for people who really think high self-esteem could actually DO some good.

So take it easy, not using positive words when speaking about yourself is the warmest, most kind and generous invitation you can give others to speak about you in the same way, using your own words.

4. Use your vision to see clearly and sufficiently all the way to the very tip of your nose.

Why bother planning for success? Since you don’t want your career to grow or find that ideal job, there’s no reason to waste time seeing it either.

You could be doing something much more exciting like carefully observing how nicely and quickly the grass grows.

Besides, creative visualization is only for the “daydreamers”.

And hey, it didn’t really do much for people like Greg Louganis, Oprah Winfrey, and Jim Carrey did it? So why bother?!

5. Don’t take learning how to manage stress seriously.

Relax, the people at work already know that you’re prone to arguments because of your strict adherence to tip #2.
They have an easy time accepting the fact that you’re just a tad bit stressed 24/7.
They also enjoy following your lead because you practice tip #3 like a real pro!

Take it easy, people will love to be in your company, family and friends included!

This is a great way that you can be sure to stay where you are and keep the same stress levels that you’ve got right now!

There you have it!

How To Manage Stress At Work: The 5 BEST Ways To Ruin Your Career Fast!

Again, this was written “just for fun” and of course, the opposite of these steps would be a better choice if you really want to manage stress in your work effectively.

I thought I’d do a little reverse psychology with you to also highlight how easy it is to forget the little things, that can add up to big things, which could possibly rob you of your dreams.

Cocktail hour, television and even watching the grass grow can all be regular things to do in your life. Ok….well, maybe try to stay away from watching the grass grow on a regular basis, unless you’re in landscaping, of course.

However, never forget to let these habits be complementaryto your overall plan in life. This is the best way to avoid “escapism” through these types of free-time activities.

By using effective stress management techniques, you won’t need to escape from your life because you will enjoy creating the life you really want for yourself, without the weight of bad stress management on your shoulders.

I hope you’ve had a good chuckle or two and will share with us how you feel about this parody on career growth in the comments section.

*****On Friday we have another 5 point list of great tips to help you to apply the opposite of these 5 tips!

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Here’s to your stress management success!

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Stress Busters: 10 Great New Things To Do Over The Weekend!

Posted by author on February 3, 2012 234 comments

Stress Busters: Get The Most Out Of Your Weekend!

One of the best ways to really enjoy your T.G.I.F. and ensure that you start next week with a bang is to see to it that happiness is your priority, especially over the weekend.

How many times has your weekend been an endless routine of “the same things, over and over again”? You might find that cycle a bit mundane, boring and dull.

Well, this is your chance to break free from that cycle and do something different!

If you just try doing something different during this weekend, then you will surely bring new energy and new experiences to your week.

This type of breaking free from the cycle is precisely the type of action that offers you the ability to access new perceptions about your life, and that gives you a lot of new power to manage stress effectively.

So without further adieu, here they are!

10 Great New Things To Do Over The Weekend!
Stress Busters!

1. Get your laughter therapy on!

When was the last time you went to a comedy club to let yourself be entertained?

Live stand-up comedy is entertaining and fun and if you haven’t been in a while, then now is the time to start laughing on purpose and seeking ways to do so.
*Check out USA Today’s list of the Top 10 Comedy Clubs!

2. If getting out to the comedy club is not so easy, then get out your DVDs.

If you gather all of your favorite DVDs of funny movies and run them like a marathon back to back, you will be amazed at how energized and happy they will make you feel!

You can also accomplish the benefits of this activity by going on You Tube and playing your favorite comedian back to back.

3. Set a timed and scheduled vacation from all of your electronic devices.

I was really surprised when during my interview on entrepreneurial stress, Chuck Hawkins, an entrepreneur with pizzazz, mentioned that he and his wife turn off all electronic devices.

All of us have so many things going on in our lives that many times we can easily forget how nice it is to not have to be concerned by automatic notifications, emails and phones ringing.

Schedule a time for your uninterrupted peace.

4. Go see a clown, a mime or some creative performance.

By exposing yourself to new creative input, you will find more intuitive creative output. Plus, seeing some type of creative performance will focus you in the moment of silent observation of their performance.

This type of focus is essential to free your mind of your inner ideas in order to be able to come back to them with new energy.

5. Go out for a meal you are accustomed to having at home.

Whether it’s a coffee or a full course dinner, it will be a special treat for you to do something you regularly do, but in a different way.

This is also helpful for gaining muscle and exercising your mind tools for thinking out of the box.

6. Visit a park, a zoo, a lake, an aquarium, or a planetarium.

Communing with nature is a great way to recharge your batteries and relieve stress. You feel a special connection when you are in nature and see how it all flows so perfectly.

Isn’t it amazing how nature manages to do this without the use of electronic devices and to-do lists? Communing with nature can help you rethink the necessity of your electronic usage during your weekend.

7. Bring the sounds of nature and peace into your life.

Since staying completely free of all electronic devices might be a bit much, make sure you are stocked up on the sounds that are conducive to the relaxing, stress-free break of your weekend.

Why leave the park at the park when you can take those sounds with you wherever you go?

You can get many of these types of apps and downloads for free in the iTunes apple store.
(One I like is called “Naturespace”. It’s free and even works if your iPad2 is closed, with the cover over it, or if you have a different app open. I find these features nice, and not all apps work in this manner.)

8. Have a picnic………by candlelight………..in your living room!

Again, what’s at work here is the ability to do something you might have done many times in the past, but in a totally different way.

Maybe you’re used to a picnic in the park in the springtime with plastic glasses and paper plates…many are used to that.

But how many times have you tried drawing the drapes, bringing out your favorite china, your shiniest silverware, and your crystal goblets to sit on your coziest blanket in the middle of your living room with the glow of candles lit?

Trust me on this one…..try it, you will like it!

9. Be a tourist in your own city.

How many attractions are there that you haven’t yet seen? Do you know what it’s like to get a glimpse of your city only when visiting relatives and friends arrive?

I’ve done that countless times myself and honestly admit that it wasn’t until I took visiting friends that I finally saw attractions like The Statue Of Liberty and The Empire State Building.

Why wait for an occasion? Treat yourself to a new discovery, just for you!

10. Take a walk somewhere you’ve never been.

In discovering something new in order to get new input, you might like to take a walk in a neighborhood you’ve never been to before.

Not only will you be getting a lot of good exercise in the fresh air (which is great for stress relief!), but you’ll also be in the process of discovering a new area. You might even find something you’ve been looking for just by the action of stepping out of the comfort zone of your neighborhood.

I said I would give you 10 Great New Things To Do Over The Weekend, but here’s a bonus:

11. Go to a pet store just to play with the animals.

Playing with an animal can give you an enormous amount of JOY! You also get feelings of the unconditional love they have for us, so pick your favorite animal and go engage with them up close!
*Caution: You might want to take one of those lovable, furry bundles of joy home!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this list of new ideas for your weekend and that it can be of benefit to you in all that you do.

One of the best ways to manage stress is to make sure you stay balanced and have fun! I hope these ideas can lead you in that direction. Which of these ideas is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

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Perception and Stress Relief: How Your Perception Affects The Way You Manage Stress

Posted by author on January 31, 2012 180 comments

How To Use Your Perception To Manage Stress

If you’re reading this blog post and following this website, chances are, you would like to have better ways to manage stress and a better quality of life for yourself.

You want to keep yourself mentally fit against the many disturbances stress can cause and you care about improving yourself on a regular basis.

Many of us share those goals in life, but how many times do we stop to think of the effect our perception has on our ability to achieve these goals?

I won’t go into the exact metaphysics of how all of this works in daily life right now (for an idea, check out: Live Life Abundantly and there’s more coming up!), but let’s just suffice the stress management strategy your’re looking for to say this:

“Whatever your current objectives are, know that you have the power to determine your attitude, which is what will determine your overall success. It’s your capacity to choose your attitude which then defines your perception. And it is your perception which ultimately shapes your reality.”

How Does Your Perception Shape Your Reality?

If you perceive your reality with the negative thoughts, resulting in negative words, then your perceived reality gives you a negative attitude toward the object of your perception. It is this perception that makes it more difficult to find the solution or the success, in that perceived reality of negativity.

Which Stress Management Technique Works Best?

Many times, without being consciously aware of it, you just might inadvertently open the door for stress instead of consciously choosing effective stress management strategies. Let’s take a look at an example of this theory in action:

You’re waiting on line at the supermarket, which is packed, and the line you’re waiting on seems to be moving slower than the other lines.

You can:

A. See which line looks faster and plan a path to get there through the traffic of the supermarket so that you can finish your errand in the most time efficient manner.

Or:

B. Figure that getting to that “faster moving lane” is no guarantee that the other lane is going to keep moving faster, then use the time spent waiting in the line to mind map a great weekend for yourself or a new project you’re working on.

Both are plausible choices, so which would you choose?

Most often, if we are pressed for time, we might think situation A could be the best choice, but how many times have you done that just to find that the person right in front of you on the faster moving lane that you made the mad dash for has chosen to pay in cash, is looking for exact change (and the coins that they can’t seem to find) and even more, has chosen products which the cashier has to look up by hand because the price tags are wrong!

I guess we would just call that Murphy’s Law, but even still, this can be awfully frustrating when it happens during a time when you’re doing your best to be time efficient. (Which, strangely enough, always seems to be the time when things like that happen!)

The Role Of Perception In Stress Management

In order to effectively manage stress in all areas of your life, it’s really helpful to decide up front which type of attitude you want to carry with you throughout each day. By making this a conscious choice on a daily basis, you will find it easier to manage stress with a more effective perception of reality that you consciously choose, with awareness and direction, instead of falling into old habits. .

Stress Management is more obviously understood as something to practice at work or with your family, in order to keep from getting angry with others. But stress management strategies are so much more because they are the keys to living your life free of tension in any situation. These are the strategies that you need when it comes to enhancing the overall quality of your life. For example, even positive self-talk would be a great exercise you can do while waiting on the line at the supermarket. Combining words like those with your mind mapping of the project or your great weekend plans will help keep you on track with a positive attitude. (And make waiting on the line a lot easier.)

Try this little exercise in altering your perception the next time you find yourself feeling frustrated with “waiting on line at the supermarket”. I also invite you to use this as a metaphor for tons of situations that provoke feelings of tension.

I struggle with this myself and need to always remind myself that in the moment that my perception has placed a shadow over reality, it’s a lot harder to find the right attitude. But the right attitude is always there for the taking. What’s more, if I don’t reach out for the right attitude, the wrong perception can actually carry over into the following activities, placing a shadow over them, as well.

Effective Stress Management Strategies:
A Practical Example To Help Yourself Remember Your Options

How many times have you thought you were late, just to get there and find out that everyone else was just arriving at the same time that you were? (Yep, maybe they were on line at the supermarket, too!)

So as it ends up, you find that you rushed and huffed and puffed for nothing.

That’s what we call “unnecessary stress”, but it happens when our perception on the reality of “the line at the supermarket” is deemed bad, which then shapes our attitude, mood and disposition.

But the good news is that you can change that by changing your perception toward the stressful situations and applying healthy, effective stress management strategies which will keep your attitude positive and your success in anything, on track!
*There’s a lot more coming up on this topic, so remember to bookmark this page.

We really want to know how this exercise works out for you, so please share your results and/or tips with us in the comments section!

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Stress Management Through The Eyes of An Entrepreneur

Posted by author on January 25, 2012 46 comments

Entrepreneurial Stress Management

Welcome to a very special interview held with the remarkably amazing powerhouse of positive get-up-and-go- energy, Chuck Hawkins! Chuck is the Director of The Hustle Harder Marketing Group, and an inspirational, motivational speaker and entrepreneur. He has produced exceptional results for his clients, who come from a vast array of business sectors. His captivating work consists in managing the growth and development of his clients’ businesses while fine tuning and enhancing the capacities of his clients so that the end result is an enormous achievement of epic peaks of success, for both his clients and their companies.

The Hustle Harder Marketing Group’s Mission:

Chuck and the Hustle Harder Marketing Group can take you from any point at which you are currently at with your professional life and your personal qualities, and work with you on both levels to bring out the business you’ve always wanted to create and the person you’ve always wanted to be! His personal story (found above the Motivation section) is a firm testimony of the fact that he doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk! In the Results section, you’ll read testimony of what he can do to get you walking the walk, too!

I’ve been fortunate to obtain this interview with Chuck, (which was conducted electronically through email conversations) because he is so busy helping others that it was not so easy to create the time. But I’m thrilled that he was able to concede us a moment to share with you the ways in which he approaches stress management as an entrepreneur, which is different from the employee/employer workplace stress where someone else handles the not so easy situations.

Here’s What’s In Store For You!

He’s going to give you insights into what has helped him to overcome the stress of running a business while making quality time for family. As an entrepreneur, he carries many responsibilities within the company, and as a family man, his responsibilities are no lighter, so his methods might surprise you! (and inspire you!)

Sit back and relax while you enjoy Chuck’s charismatic and contagious positive energy! He’s going to take you through some tips that we can all benefit from applying!

Kim: What forms of stress management have you and your wife utilized in the past and found to be successful?

Chuck Wow! That’s how you kick off an interview! Initially, we thought that WE could manage stress together, and to an extent we can. We’ve learned that sometimes we need to unplug: turning off the cell phones, shut down the laptops etc., Plus we take time to enjoy the silly little things like our favorite breakfast places, or dinners.

Sometimes it’s more of a communicative balancing act and letting us both have our time separately.
I like quiet time, time to read, work on little projects or maybe going to shoot some pool, which has always been a secret passion of mine.
My wife likes to have her time WITHOUT THE KIDS, she likes the usual pamper time. Things like personal care and exercise.
Of course we spend our time together in prayer for and with each other, as well. After 7 years of marriage, you learn the value of quiet time.
Oh! How could I forget!! My wife and I both have an immense love for music, so sometimes, we’ll go for a drive and listen to a few good albums on the ipod.

Kim: I don’t know that many couples who actually “turn off cell phones AND shut down laptops, so that’s a great tip right there! I also like that you two take pleasure in the “silly little things” and the “music therapy” you mentioned. Moving on to more personal information…. Congratulations on your recent 7 year wedding anniversary celebration! In the seven years that you’ve been married, what has helped keep your marriage so strong?

Chuck: Well, my personality is pretty laid back, so laughter is an absolute must for me. I try to find humor in EVERYTHING. Whether it’s the news anchor stumbling over his or her “breaking news report” or something one of my daughters said, life in general is pretty funny if you take the time to enjoy it.

As a couple, I think I try to make my the wife laugh at least once or twice a day. I remember my father (who’s been married 40+ years) saying that “if a man couldn’t make a woman smile, he was worthless.

**NOW THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS JUST MY OPINION** but I think that women and men carry stress differently. My wife deals with the kids a lot more, and since being a mother never stops. So she’s on the job considerably more than I am (although I’m working on it).

But in our marriage, I have to say that we’ve learned from a lot of situations that the best thing to do, is to learn to simply enjoy the moment. We laugh at a lot of things, ourselves, politics, old movies, our kids. I think it helps to take the edge off of everything that life can throw at you.

Kim: 40+ years of marriage is a huge accomplishment, so many kudos to your parents! I also like your father’s principle of teaching you to help make your partner laugh every day. We can all gain something from that lesson, male or female. Please tell us about how you apply stress management in the various areas of your busy life and hectic schedule.

Chuck: Well, here is how I would describe the way I manage stress, in relation to the 3 most important areas of my life:

a. In our marriage: The best part about being married is the fact that you have someone, so you don’t necessarily have to go through things by yourself. I’m grateful for that.
I think if you appreciate laughter, you’ll realize it’s an unspoken language that helps to relieve pressure from just about any situation.

b. In business: When someone is in what I like to call “HUSTLE MODE” it’s not so easy to find time to laugh because of the laser focus on reaching goals.
That being said, it’s important to steal away moments and laugh at funny moments in the office or one of my secret stress busters which is to go look up resumes and critique the opening statements.
Also my sister is an outlet for my stress during work. We can text each other a single line from a movie that we watched as kids and without warning or anything, we crack up laughing!
Instantly that moment during work is made lighter.

c. In social activities: Anytime I’m not working, I’m all about fun!
I don’t always show it, but I have a really laid back, nonchalant attitude so it takes a lot to get me worked up. When the pressure does build up, as someone who prides myself as a networker, I find that laughter helps to open people up.
It gives you the opportunity to build new partnerships and relationships.

Kim: I have to say, you covered all 3 areas quite well and now you’ve got me wondering if my sister and I could try that text message idea you suggested in order to help us to take a load off, too! What do you do when you find that you and your wife aren’t on the same page with family decisions?

Chuck: Umm, this is NOT a funny question! But I also know that you say it like it is, Kim! When we’re not on the same page with family decisions, honestly, I weigh my options.
Sometimes it’s better to be happy, than to be right.
I’d like to believe that if it’s not a major decision, then we can be pretty good at compromising. Sometimes just agreeing to disagree helps a lot.
We try to live by the bible verse that suggests for you to not let the sun go down while you’re still angry.

Kim: You’re right, Chuck! It wasn’t the funniest question, but you know I want to ask the questions our readers want to know and I thank you for baring your soul with us! “Being happy is more important thank being right” is a great way to view situations! Motivating and helping others to achieve their goals is your main focus, a vision we both share. How did this focus come about for you and who or what motivates you the most?

Chuck: Wow, there are 2 parts to this answer:

For the sake of time, I’ll give you the short version, so here’s my story. You see, I was extremely successful in the real estate industry before the crash. Here in California there was tons of money to be made, and I worked hard for my share. However, I was young, and when you make a lot of money at a young age, typically you spend a lot of money…usually more than you make. I didn’t realize that the industry of real estate was cyclical, so needless to say, we lost everything.

Then I was introduced to the industry of network marketing, the doors of personal development and the principals of success. We were able to do very well in that industry, but more importantly I was able to see how many people have a thirst for the motivation, and inspiration in all aspects of their life, not just with their jobs and finances. I think there is something unique, transparent and timeless about the way I’m able to deliver that information…and yes, of course I’m a bit partial!

The Motivation

Now as for who motivates me, at the end of the day, it’s my family.
My wife and daughters mean the world to me, and as a young man, I watched my father, a former Navy Seal, do everything that he could to provide for my sister and me. My goal in life is to do the exact same but on a level that leaves a legacy for my children’s children. Day to day though, I find inspiration in the small, simple things.

The Results

Recently I was fortunate to help a young lady find the energy and time to launch her own business. She had a passion for cooking and baking but felt trapped in her job. Within just 7 months of working with her, she was able to pay her brand new mortgage with her business from home, and is well on track to retire at the ripe age of 35. The joys in helping people identify what they are born to do AND find the courage to pursue it…that’s an endless source of inspiration. Call me naïve, but I sincerely believe that everyone wants more in some aspect of their life, and my goal, my passion, my intention at all times, is to help them find it because when you know WHY you do something, the energy and internal motivation to Hustle Harder will find you as well.

Many thanks to you, my friend, for your candid honesty and transparency! You’ve given us so many valuable methods to apply for all things in our lives. I’ve learned a lot from your inspirational words and really identify with your values, which you share so well and with so many. Thank you, again for having taken the time out of your busy schedule to share with us!

Chuck Hawkins is a fresh face with an impressive living resume to the genres of motivational speaking, networking and wealth building. His work is to help you succeed at what you do and his motivational techniques will guide you into a new stream of productivity, efficiency and exceptional quality for any project that you plan to build. You can contact Chuck through his blog at: The Hustle Harder Marketing Group and tweet him at Twitter! Another great way to connect with Chuck is through Facebook!

Chuck has been kind enough to remain available in case you have any questions that I didn’t cover, so please feel free to place them in the comments section of this post (the button is up top) and Chuck’ll be happy to respond to you personally.

If you don’t have a question but would like to share your ideas about this interview and its contents, then please feel free to comment and I’ll respond to you personally.

Don’t forget to share this post with someone you believe it could help by using the buttons below!

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Stress Management and Money: 3 Tips

Posted by author on January 19, 2012 65 comments

Your 3 Step Plan To Manage Stress Concerning Your Money

When thinking about your money and your financial situation, do you notice your mood swinging into a “down the hill” sort of way? (see: symptoms of stress/stress management) Would you like to have stress relief from your past ideas concerning money? Effective stress management means facing those situations which make you feel uneasy (even to the point of nauseousness) with full steam. So get ready to tackle this ferocious tiger, which you will turn into a house cat with your courage to begin!

Let’s begin by stating an irrevocable fact: 2012 does not have to be like 2011 or any of the years before. You can make a difference this year and take your financial standing by the horns! It’s important to believe deep down in your heart that things can and will be different as this belief in your capacity to make a difference will propel you forward.

3 Ways You Can Manage Stress Concerning Money:

1. Review your financial goals for this year.

Schedule time for yourself to write out how you would like to see this year differ from the previous years. Schedule this the same way you would schedule and honor a dentist appointment because it’s that important in order for you to really make this year different from the previous years. Would you like to see your savings change? Then set out a plan for it—but on paper because this will help you to focus and commit.

I don’t know about you, but I had heard the motto PAY YOURSELF FIRST for years, but it wasn’t until I actually sat down and set out a strategy to do so that it became attainable. You need actionable steps to take, so program that into your lifestyle. Even saving $1.00 a day is just $35.00 dollars a month, but that will be $365.00 dollars saved at the end of the year which you might have let slip through your fingers were you not consciously aware (through the form of writing out your plan) of your new commitment.

Start small and make a commitment. It’s better to know you can easily reach a set figure than to set a goal which is so high that it becomes more difficult to process. Whatever plan you use for your smaller commitment will essentially be part of any bigger plan you’ll have, but it’s the commitment to yourself which is key.
*Note: If you tend to procrastinate this first step, then read end procrastination and apply those techniques to help you get started.

2. Review your mental mindset.

This is more than just seeing the glass half full or half empty. This is all about your core ideas concerning money.

Deep down, do you believe that money is there to serve you or do you serve money and most importantly how do your ACTIONS reflect your mental mindset? Also take a look at how you’ve perceived money over the years to see if you’ve always felt there was never enough or if there were times when you were satisfied with your income and money management. This type of reflection is important for your moving forward in managing stress effectively concerning your money management because it will show you the areas we’re going to clean out, change and improve on in the next step.

If credit cards and loans are a big problem, then you might want to consider reshaping your mental mindset about what you really need….and what you don’t. You don’t need debt and you don’t need stress from debt, so it’s a good idea to look for which patterns of behavior are not in harmony with your overall financial goals. Is the new car really something to take you from point A to point B, or is it to impress your _____fill in the blank. Make a defining statement of who you are and use positive affirmations to help you keep your eye on your real and true goals in life. The bottom line: impressing anyone out there cannot and will not ever compare to the great impression you will gain within yourself from reaching your financial goals!

*NOTE: It’s a good idea to start with micro financial goals as explained well in The Simple Dollar.
**If living large is the only way for you, then check out some tips on how to do so without infringing on your mental mindset and financial goals at: Wisebead.

3. De-clutter

It’s strange how this works, but when you physically get rid of clutter and chaos in your home and office, that becomes the catalyst for ridding yourself of the clutter in your mind, as we spoke of in step #2.

This article in Leo Babauta’s Site illustrates this point with great clarity in point number 13. Again, the note on micro goals can help you a lot, so you might want to start with something small, like a drawer or 1 bookshelf.

When starting fresh and managing stress concerning your finances, remember that having “visual thought space” is important to help you in organizing and achieving your new plan. You really need this type of de-cluttering in order to do what you set out to do the objectives we discussed in step #1.

We’ve written about closet clutter earlier and that’s a good guideline to help you to get rid of the things you don’t need or use. One of the best things about using the philosophy from the closet clutter relief article for “any other type of clutter” is that it trains your mind to let go of emotional attachment to physical possessions and let’s face it, stress management is useful for your money management mainly because of physical possessions. Freeing yourself from strong emotional attachment to these “things” (many of which, were lined up for the goodwill anyways) get you moving forward in the right direction of getting your money to work FOR you, instead of just working for money.

Poor is a state of mind, broke is only a temporary condition.

More valuable information here: Abundance Academy: Live Life Abundantly

We’ll be covering much more on this important topic, given the amount of stress which stems from issues pertaining to this topic, so be sure to sign up for the latest news at the top left corner of this page. Bookmark our site or get the rss feed so you can stay on top of the new developments.

In the meantime, we have something very exciting and very special to inform you about which will surely help you in every facet of life!

Get yourself turbo charged on your new path in obtaining your financial success and so much more that you’ve desired towards improving the quality of your life. Join us in I IGNITE! Stress management will be a lot easier after attending this incredibly powerful event!
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Please let us know your ideas about stress relief and money management in the comments section, share this post with someone you think it could help and drop by and say hi on facebook! You can also tweet with us on Twitter.

Here’s to the best of your stress management success!

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Top 10 Ways You Can Have Stress Free Holidays

Posted by author on December 1, 2011 181 comments

Manage Stress During The Holidays: 10 Tips For Instant Results

As the holiday season descends upon us, many of us are already getting out our decorations, planning holiday visits and organizing our shopping lists. So exploring how to manage stress effectively, is essential. There are endless lists to make and endless errands to run, not to mention the many arrivals of out of town relatives.

The holidays are that one time of year when everyone deals with managing stress in a vast myriad of ways, but this year, you can choose something new and different and thus, get thru the holidays stress free! Here’s a great plan with actionable steps that you can start applying now!

Here Are 10 Ways You Can Manage Stress Effectively at the Holidays:

1. Do something nice for yourself!

Chances are, you will be quite busy doing a lot of nice things for others, so don’t forget to place yourself on that list too! Cuddling and affection are known to reduce the blood pressure and calm the mind, so hold someone in your arms, or your pet for at least 3 minutes so you can get the stress relieving, calming benefits. Luckily, even hugging trees is beneficial and it relieves stress, so ’tis the season to remember to hug everyone and everything!
Result: Your approach will be more serene and intuitive.

2. Don’t let the holiday blues get you down.

Understand that the holiday blues are normal and everyone goes through them.
Some people are in the blues because of all of the family obligations they will have while others are in the blues because they have no family or are too far. Wherever you look, people have their down moments during the holidays, so realize that you’re not the only one feeling that way and decide to take action to lift your blues. Take a long walk in the fresh air of a park or do some journaling about things you like in your life, then you can apply some laughter therapy. Realize it’s ok to get down, but you don’t want to stay down and taking action will help you.
Result: You will connect with the world around you instead of feeling different from others.

3. Do regular check-ins with yourself to evaluate how you’re doing.

If you’re starting to feel stressed, that’s the time to stop before it gets to be too much. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you need a break, then take it. Remember way #1 and be good to yourself. Go get a massage or take a hot bath. The winter gives us less contact with natural sunlight and this can lead to a sluggish feeling, so remember to nuture yourself by getting as much natural sunlight during the day as you can. Let positive self-talk help you by saying to yourself “I’m commited to having a serene holiday season this year!”
Result: You will stay dedicated to your inner intentions.

4. Keep it simple.

You might tend to do too much during the holiday season, so it’s a good time to ask yourself if everything you always do during the holidays is really necessary. As a society, many times we get so caught up in getting the right gifts, cooking the right food, and having the right decorations that we forget the true meaning of the holiday season. If you keep it simple, it’s easier to align yourself with the essence of the holidays and thereby, cultivate ideas that are in harmony with the true simplicity of the holiday season, which makes managing stress during the holidays a lot easier.
Result: You will see what’s really important and gain deeper perspective.

5. Make a firm decision.

If you decide right now, here, today, that you will not stress over whatever you have stressed over at past holiday seasons, chances are, you won’t. Many times, it takes making a conscious decision about what your holiday season really means to you, then sticking with it. This can also be applied to the things you feel you “have to do”. If you feel you have to do something undesireable, then ask yourself if the world would end if you didn’t do it. Chances are, it might only create some waves in the sea, but “smooth seas don’t make skillful sailors”. If you practice managing stress well during your holidays, know that you’ll have that extra ability for other matters during the year, as well.
Result: You will gain inner courage, strength and peace by eliminating unnecessary stress.

6. Forget the past pains.

This one might be a little tough to apply, but creative visualization can help you! If you’ve decided you will go to that relative’s house knowing that that is the relative who always insults you, then put way #5 into action by deciding that you will let those painful words go in one ear and out the other. Set up your game plan in advance and visualize yourself making your new responses. Maybe when that relatve starts, you’ll see that as your cue to go walk the dog or take out the trash.
Result: You will free yourself from past burdens.

7. Practice saying “No, that’s not something I can do right now”.

Too many times you might feel stressed because you have taken on too much. You have even more obbligations and duties during the holidays season, so that’s even more reason why it’s important to practice saying no. Take this holiday season as an opportunity for you to excercise your capacity to set boundaries and chances are, your boundaries will be respected next holiday season, as well.
Result: You teach others how to respect your time and energy.

8. Do something totally different!

Sometimes a diversion from “the usual routine” or something spontaneous is all you need to loosen up and gain new perspective. Consider going away for the holidays. Do you remember the fabulously funny movie Home Alone? Maybe it’s time to try spending the holiday season in a different city (without leaving behind your kids!), or a great time to try hiking in the mountains.
Result: You open your mind to accept and receive new rewarding experiences!

9. Eat specific food.

Instead of french fries and pizza, try eating more rice and pasta because these types of carbohydrates will give you serotonin, which is the hormone which sends happy feelings to your brain. If you’re at the mall, instead of getting some potato chips, try almonds which will in turn, give you mood stabilizing hormones like dopamine. Even chocolate contains the important stress relieving magnesium and is also known to lower stress levels. You can read more on that at this source.
Result: By taking care of your inside, your outside will be stronger, feel better!

10. Make frequent foot massages.

All you need is an old sock and 2 tennis balls. Then run your bare feet over the tennis balls in the sock and indulge in the pleasurable feeling! You will be massaging over 7,000 endorphines which will invigorate as well relax you!
Result: By remembering to be good to yourself, you will have a much more positive attitude about all of the other things you will be doing for others.

Managing stress during the holidays is a challenge for most people, but if you can try new ways to manage stress at a time like the holidays, then you will have an edge on managing stress during the whole year, as well!

Let us know which ways you’re going to apply this holiday season, or feel free to share some new tips with us in the comments section.

We look forward to seeing which practice you will commit to in the comments section! You’ll notice that by just commenting on your commitment, you will (even without necessarily realizing it) honor your decision as opportunities to implement your commitment will “coincidentally” appear. That’s what’s happened with me on countless occasions. One thing is for sure, life always shows the areas to be improved upon until action is taken to improve them, so I hope you get some great results!

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How To Overcome Procrastination: The Only 5 Letter Word You Need

Posted by author on November 23, 2011 208 comments

Stop Procrastination Now: The Only 5 Letter Word You Need

We all know how defeating procrastination can feel. Just the idea that there is something that we nag ourselves to do, but somehow, never make up our minds to actually do, is not such a great feeling. How many times have you set out to make a New Year’s Resolution or start a new diet on a set day, only to arrive at that date and find the many routines of your life taking over? Whether it’s cleaning out your attic, sending your proposal to a prospective client, organizing a new carpool for your kids, or finishing your thesis, there are always things to do and therefore, always things to procrastinate doing. Learning how to manage stress in a time like this may seem like a never ending balancing act.

In many cases, it’s also a good idea to look at why you are procastinating a certain thing. Maybe it’s not so important to you afterall, maybe you’re overwhelmed by the amount of time and energy it requires, maybe you’re afraid of the changes involved in completing that action. We will cover more on these types of fears in an upcoming post, but for now, let’s look at what you can do to end your procrastination today.

Here is: The Single 5 Letter Word You Need To Overcome Procrastination:

FOCUS

or actually,

F.O.C.U.S.

Here’s why the second version will end your procrastination today:

Focus sounds pretty simple, and in essence, it really is. But I’ve tried many times to apply just the word focus and it didn’t always work out so well, so I’d like to share with you a system that exists within that word. This system greatly enhanced my motivation surrounding the daunting task that I would procrastinate, and it also helped the outcome of that dauntiing task. At Laughs Heal, we like acronyms (see s.m.a.r.t., the 5 day challenge) because acronyms make things easier to remember, so here’s the system in its acronymic form:

F: is for finalize

Here you want to start with the final end result. Why? Because that is the picture that will fuel your motivation, and that motivation is essential for knowing how to manage stress effectively. Then you will want to prioritize your finalized pictures. This will show you the macro planning for the tasks you used to procrastinate, what you would like to see changed, and why it’s so important to do it.

It will also help you to see why procrastination used to win out in the past. For example, if it’s something like cleaning out your attic or basement, first concentrate on that finalized picture of a clean, neat, well-organized attic or basement and how good that makes you feel. Look for some added benefit that finalized picture gives you.

For example, will it relieve stress when you go to look for things? If it’s the diet, will it improve your physical health and mental/emotional self-esteem? In order to really overcome procrastination, it’s important for you to determine if the task is really something you want and need, or not.

If the task is something you don’t truly want or need, then it’s not a question of procrastination, and the finalization will give you that clarity, so finalize your finished project to see what is really important. You can get lots of great tips on how to organize by checking out this website: Life Organizers

O: is for objectives

This is your micro planning, your road map to accomplishing the task. Once you have finalized what kind of priority it is and it’s real importance in your life, your micro planning is where you set out to plan how you would get it done. You might try using creative visualization to better understand your micro planning points in determining how many hours, days, weeks, etc. the entire project will take Referring to the s.m.a.r.t. 5 day challenge, you understood how important it is to be realisitc about the time factor.

I work with deadlines all the time and in a busy day, I can relate to the difficulty in trying to carve out some “extra time” for accomplishing new tasks. It might mean managing your time more efficiently. Look for ways to carve out some extra time.

If you have too many paper documents, try eliminating that with: TextBridge Pro 11 is the simple and fast way to convert paper into editable electronic documents!

C: C is for that 4 letter foul word removal

If you really want to apply the F and the O, then the word can’t needs to vanish from your vocabulary. People who learn how to manage stress effectively start by letting go of defeating words, so that’s an important thing for you to consider.

If your intention is to stop procrastination, then this is a good time to concentrate on all you can do to get your task done and drop the rest. This is important for managing mental and emotional stress, as well.

The 4 letter foul word only defeats your purpose and that can leave you feeling frustrated, so listen to the way you talk and listen to the way you think. Whenever you hear that 4 letter word come out of your mouth or sneak into your thoughts, just pause and nip it in the bud by changing it to an I Can statement.

U: U is for YOU, of course!

You can also think of it as the way you plan to “untie” yourself from your previous routines and thought patterns so that you can see where you can implement the F, O, and C. Your objective to eliminate this nagging thing you’ve been procrastinating comes first!

It might mean keeping yourself free of negative situations where the 4 letter foul word tends to slip out. It might mean foregoing a few nights of your favorite prime-time tv show, or missing Saturday’s game with the fellas. But the feeling of accomplishment and enhanced self-esteem you get once you tackle your procrastination head on and win, is well worth it!

S: S is for Self-Talk

You can fuel your winning over procrastination by keeping yourself geared up with positive self-talk! You need to be your own best friend at a time like this because you are literally moving mountains within yourself! You need all of the encouragement you can get, so start by encouraging yourself.

Commit strongly to this practice and you will see it not only get your procrastinated tasks completed, but it will also help you to achieve in other areas of your life, as well. This is a very effective tool for managing stress, which is inevitable whenever you set out to do a task you’ve previously procrastinated. If it were such an easy, stress free task, maybe you wouldn’t have procrastinated, right?

This is a great method for learning how to manage stress effectively by applying new habits. Try this new one word, 5 letter system for overcoming procrastination! You can begin by sharing the one thing you commit to accomplishing by writing it in the comments section below. I love hearing from you, so please let me know how it worked out for you!

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Anger Management: Change the Cycle With These 5 Tips and Positive Affirmations

Posted by author on November 18, 2011 2 comments

Anger Management:
The Cycle Of Anger=>You Can Change That Cycle Now

I know many people who have a “mad at the world” attitude, don’t you? To be honest with you, I’ve gone through those phases, as well. You do your best to plan and prepare, then something comes up and spoils it all. You work hard at your job and keep on top of things, then have problems getting the promotion you deserve. You give your children the best you can and they still have difficulties just living life in a good way. The list is endless.

There are so many things that disappoint you when you know you’ve done everything to ensure that you wouldn’t be disappointed and then consequently, you get angry. Many times, not with any singular situation, but with life in general. It all just seems so unfair and useless. It’s certainly not a time in life when you want to even think about positive affirmations.

So what do you do? When I feel down like that, first of all, I know I have to do something to change the cycle and grab some positive thoughts because if not, I can find myself in a downward spiraling cycle which can even result in depression and apathy. Has this ever happened to you? You have a bad morning, getting out of bed on the wrong foot, then that turns into a bad day, then before you know it, you’re whole week is shot! It’s like watching a train wreck…but in slow motion….ouch!

How To Change the Cycle of Anger: Coping With Anger Means Coping With Stress

It’s not such an easy cycle to change, though I wish I could say it’s easy, but the good news is that it can be done. To start off with, since most likely, you’re not going to be in a place of being able to accept positive thoughts, positive affirmations, much less laughter therapy, it’s a good idea for you to do a quick check of where my perspective is at. Ask yourself questions like:

Am I giving permanent reality to temporary problems? (that one is big!)
Why am I so angry with everyone and everything?
What do you believe that they have done to you? (remember that beliefs can be changed.)

Perhaps what has really occured is a simple misunderstanding where good communication with that person will resolve the problem. As Dan Pallotta puts it in his article in the Harvard Business Review “anti-communication is the source of all misunderstanding, and misunderstanding is the source of 99% of our problems.”

Maybe in some cases, someone really has done you wrong, but one thing is for sure; if you react to their wrong doing by holding onto that anger, then whoever did you wrong will continue to have power over you by conditioning your life.

Perhaps their wrong doing was something that happened over a week ago, but your being angry today conditions the way you treat people and circumstances today, and it’s not so easy to get good results from people and circumstances when you bring anger to the table. Staying angry with someone or something is kind of like “I don’t have a solution, but I sure love this problem”. Take a look at 5 solutions.

Here Are 5 Anger Management Tips:

1. Do something you love:

Go get busy with the model car you’re building or your gardening. Doing something you love will give you a positive outlet for all of the extra adrenalin that anger produces.

2. Get outside and take a long, brisk walk:

Distancing yourself from the area will help calm your mental stress and the excercise will calm your physical stress from the situaton.

3. Speak it thoroughly out of your system:

Call an 800 number, your best friend or partner and let them help you to calm down.

4. Invite distractions:

It might sound odd, but this is actually a good time for you to get yourself distracted because anything that can move your mind from that which has angered you, will inevitably help you to calm down.
(Just remember to move your mind back into the process of facing whatever angered you after your anger has subsided.)

5. Pump up the volume:

Listen to some of your favorite music and even sing along because this too, will keep your mind focused on the song you’re singing more than the anger you felt. (Needless to say, this might not be the best time to listen to those songs that have great tunes, but provoke violence.)

What Do You Do When You’re Angry With Yourself?

Also within this cycle are the negative thoughts that you might have towards yourself. You know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed by life, right? Times when there just don’t seem to be enough hours in a day to get things done, and this can cause a lot of anger and resentment, as well. How many times have you heard the saying “there is method to my madness”, but the bottom line is that the less organized you are, the more difficult it is for you to get things done.

It’s kind of ironic I make such a bold statement like that because even though I grew up participating in a yearly family activity called “spring cleaning”, to be honest, it’s not something I carried into adult life as a yearly activity. For me, it’s usually more along the lines of “when the closets and drawers look like they’ll explode, I guess it’s time to clean out some things”!:-)

This leads me to this important question: do you harbor negative thoughts about yourself which are about things that you actually have control over? If you find yourself getting excessively angry with yourself over some particular issue in your life, ask yourself: “Can I change this? If so, what can I do to change this?” Positive affirmations helped me bring out better organizational skills. When you use positive self-talk, it helps you get on track much more quickly than getting angry with yourself.

One of the best ways this positive self-talk helps is to raise your awareness of what you can do to make your positive affirmations really become a realty in your life. Some things that helped me are these new resources I became more aware of, like the specialized organizational assistance I have with software I got here. Sure there are still times when I like a pen and paper, but more and more, software like this increases efficiency, saves time and hey, it’s weightless. You can also get the solution so many of us have found relief in plus new ideas on how to declutter your life by going to: Organize.com. Are you like those of us who have way too many paper documents contributing to clutter? Then try this useful tool which will resolve that problem for you: TextBridge Pro 11 is the simple and fast way to convert paper into editable electronic documents!

You Can Tweak Your Anger Management Skills

The important thing to remember is that once you identify why you are angry, you can start taking steps to resolve that anger. Sitting with anger for a long time is not a good idea. Anger is a devious companion to have in life. Sure, there are times when anger can be channeled wisely to produce marvelous results of increased drive and determination, but more often than not, anger corrodes your inner happiness and peace.

But if you use a this new approach for coping with anger, the solutions will be easier to grasp and remain in your reach. Once you have a good hold of solutions, you will be in a better mindset. Laughter therapy can help accomplish this for you.

You know those moments when you don’t know if it’s better to laugh or to cry? Choose laughter! Laughter is your tool to get you to a place of peace from which you can begin to access the power of positive affirmations. The American Phychological Association actually lists humor as one of the ways they believe anger can be managed and you can find more on that, including their other suggestions by clicking here, The APA.

Pet therapy is a known fact to help manage anger.

Anger Knocks At The Door, But Peace Answers: Get That Special Place Of Peace

Be nice to yourself, do something good for yourself. There may be people who do things that get you down, but that doesn’t have to keep you down. Try using the power of positive affirmations to lift you up. If you have a situation where you believe someone has wronged you, try saying “I’m not going to let he or she stop me” instead of giving the wrongdoing more power by focusing on that wrongful action. Positive self-talk can really do a lot to help you turn the cycle around. What this little positive affirmation actually does is: it focuses your mind and your thoughts on your power to change the cycle and keeps you out of the reach of a negative cycle of anger. With positive thoughts and positive words in your life, you will automatically find positive actions which are in harmony with your mindset. You can also try journaling about how well you are overcoming that particular situation and writing down the new actions you plan to take so that you can physically see how that negative situation is actually bringing out the best in you. Try a nice, long relaxing bath, a good game of basketball with the fellas or some pet therapy. Managing anger is a lifelong responsibility, so it’s ok for you to give yourself the time you need. If the methods you tried before still brought you to the same results, maybe it’s time to try something new, like some laughter therapy and let the power of positive aaffirmations really start working for you!

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How to manage stress: Home

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How’s This For A Stress Relieving Bath?! 10 Essentials For Your At Home Spa!

Posted by author on October 14, 2011 90 comments

The Best Stress Relieving Bath
Your At Home Spa

As many of you know, Laughs Heal is much about how to help you understand the benefits of laughter therapy in your process of discovering how to manage stress effectively. Laughter therapy helps relieve stress and many other well known problems which we all deal with on a regular basis.

Now I’d like to share with you one of the best relaxation techniques that you’ll ever find. It’s a simple, good, old fashioned steaming hot bath. But for optimal relaxation, this is not your everyday bath, mind you. This is a special stress relieving bath!

This type of bathing experience is more like a bathing ritual because when you really need stress relief, it’s much more effective to “set the mood” for a real stress relieving, stress busting special break by indulging yourself in this ancient, special form of bathing, turning it into a real bathing ritual. If you’re ready to try this for yourself, remember that it’s not supposed to be one of those in the tub and out in 10 minutes kind of bathing experience. So, you are probably asking what do I mean by “set the mood” and how does this “bathing ritual” differ from the regular routine?

It all starts with setting aside 1 hour for your special “stress relief for you time”! Turn off the phone, all of them , close your pc or mac, send everyone to the other side of the house and let no distractions keep you from focusing on this special bathing ritual so that you can gain maximum benefit. This will be the best spent hour of your schedule because it really reduces stress levels recharges your batteries!

The Best Stress Relieving Stress Buster

Now, to begin with, let’s get our supplies together.

If I really want to get the most out of my bathing ritual and really want to relieve stress from the day, I need to set a few things into motion first. So the first thing you need to do to “set the mood” for this special bathing ritual is to turn on your towel heater. You’ll want that to be heating up already and it might take a minute or two, so start with that.
If you don’t already have a towel heater, then get one. Trust me, you will not regret it!. These days, there are so many good towel heaters readily and easily available, so no home should be without one.

If your objective is to set aside 1 hour for your special stress relieving bath, then you certainly don’t want to get get out of a nice hot, steamy bath just to wrap yourself up in a cold towel! That would greatly diminish the usefulness of your stress relieving bathing ritual and you want to maximize the benefits, not diminish them.

Here are a some of the best towel heaters available that you can easily have delivered to your front door:

Mounted Towel Heater Versus Electric Towel Heater

One of the things I like about having an electric towel heater is that they don’t require any mounting onto walls, so it’s easy to just plug it in and you’re done; it’s ready and working! I even got one for my sister when I noticed how much she loved the fact that they are so easy to move around. That’s an extra advantage you get when you get an electric towel heater as opposed to a towel heater that’s mounted on your wall…you can change your mind and move them around to any bathroom or room in your home!

With Your Towel Heater, You Want Soft, Plush Towels

Then I drape my softest, most plush and luxurious towels all over the towel warmer so that once I plug it in, they will all be wrapped in warmth! You want to do this to be sure that when you step out of your tub, you step into more relaxing warmth and comfort. This is particularly nice when it’s freezing outside or when the air conditioning is on high.

Ultra Soft 6 piece Towel set Lilac by Cotton Craft – 100% Pure Luxury 650 gram Cotton with a Rayon band – Contains 2 Oversized and Large Bath Towels 30×54, 2 Hand Towels 16×28 and 2 Wash Cloths 12×12

Stress Relieving Candles To Light Your Stress Relieving Bath

Next, I like to get my stress relieving candles ready and place them around my tub and all thruought my bathroom. Candles are particularly perfect for “setting the mood” and they promote serenity from within. When you do this, you get the visual effects of your decision to take 1 hour for yourself to relieve stress and recharge your batteries.

It’s like the difference between eating a sandwich on the run and sitting down to a well-set table for a meal. Even if you sit down at the table for the same sandwich, your dining experience is going to be completely different. Exploring how to manage stress effectively means getting the most out of even every day experiences.

Aromatherapy Candles- Lavender, Lemongrass & Orange, Cinnamon Spice- made with 100% pure essential oils – 72 hr. total burn time

For your stress relieving bath, any candle will work, but I recommend you try aromatherapy candles for the added benefits they give you. Studies have shown a direct link between aromatherapy candles and your positive thinking power, so to gain the greatest benefit from your stress relieving bathing ritual, let the power of essential oils give you their special boost.

Don’t you just love that special kind of feeling whenever you see lit candles all around? Whether at a nice restaurant or a holiday celebration, candles always have and always will do something extra special for “setting the mood”. They whisk you into another dimension of feeling and with this type of bathing ritual, these are the types of little stress relieving tools that put together, really make a huge difference for you!

Your At Home Spa

Next on your list is to pull out your special scents for your at home spa bathwater! One I new product I recently tried and like a lot, made by Molton Brown.

I found this particularly stimulating because it’s made with wild-indigo flower and smells absolutely delicious! Molton Brown has long been a distinguished creator of exquisitely made products.

I first discovered them while traveling and the hotel I was at had their products in the room. But when I found out that I could get these uniquely blended products delivered straight to my front door, I knew I had found a winner! Everytime I use thier products, I’m reminded of that great vacation, and since they’ve got something for everyone, I’ve found they make great gifts for the whole family, too.

One thing I’ve noticed really helps you to feel special about this experience of creating a bathing ritual, is to open something special, just for your special stress relieving break.

I don’t know about you, but I lead an extremely busy lifetyle with tons of obligations and responsibilities. So if you know what that’s like, then you know it isn’t always so easy to find that 1 solid hour in a day to dedicate to your stress relieving bath. That’s why when you do set aside that special time, it’s really important to go all out for yourself to really make it something extraordinary and special.

Special Bathroom Accessories

Lately, I’ve added a little something new to this bathing ritual that is really impressive. Good things come in small packages and this, you’ve got to try this for yourself! Opening a special box of these little perfumed door tassels, exclusively for your special bathing ritual really makes your stress relieving break special.

I hang them everywhere in my bathroom when “setting the mood” for my stress relieving bath. You’ll find that they really do a lot to not only perfume the entire area, but they also create a nice decoration as you step into your new ritual!

OK, I have to admit…..I particularly like this type of tassel room freshener because they are effective and come in the most beautifully exquisite boxes!. That really makes it an extra delight when you open something pretty and useful that has nice pretty packaging too!

Special Bath Soaps

Of course, to perfectly “set the mood”, you might like to try the idea of using special and decorative soaps because they really add a lot towards transforming your regular bath into a stress relieving bathing ritual as well!
Do you really want to get all of your other details especially prepared with care and attention just to use your regular soap in the dish? (Or even more, your “soap on a rope”?!)

Trust me, you know that just isn’t going to give you that special feeling you’re looking for here. While searching for items for a friend’s wedding last year, I came across these delights and have been hooked every since! When I get this little box of goodies out, I start feeling special already. You will love indulging in the enchanting experience they “set the mood” for, all so well!

Try these elegant bath soaps, you’ll see what I mean….

Plus, you can get many uses from these extremely elegant bath soaps. Even if you just display them to softly scent a room, they smell lovely and make great decorations, too. Imagine your guests when they go to your guest bathroom and see these?!

For your stress relieving bath, just think of when you peel off a petal to lather between your hands. Now how special is that?

You can also sprinkle a handful of these rose petals into your warm bath water and they will dissolve and foam to create a soothing, fragrant bath. I love these boxes because each set comes with 27 elegant soap roses, which is three boxes of 9 each and they are all tied with delicate white satin ribbons, again adding to the exquisite feeling you get from turning your regular bath into a special stress relieving bathing ritual.

Herbal Tea: Essential in Your Herbal Remedies for Stress Relief

In the meantime, while your bathwater is running, undoubtedly you can enjoy some refreshing herbal tea to sip on while you’re in the bathtub. Herbal tea really makes difference if you want stress relief that will calm your mind, body and soul. Plus, it’s also good for you too, so even more reason to try some good herbal tea.

A friend of mine gave me this beautiful herbal teapot set that is perfect for stress relief break occasions and when entertaining, they go over great with guests, too! They are beautiful sets that go well with any color scheme:

Today, there is much medical evidence which has proven the benefits of green tea.

Although I must admit, it took a tiny bit of effort, I’ve gotten into the regular habit of grabbing a pack of of green tea when I go to the grocery store.

But for special relaxation moments, you might like to use something other than your “everyday” type of tea.

This is a bathing ritual for stress relief you’re creating here, so you don’t want to use your “everyday” items if you really intend to make it something special.

If you really want this stress relieving bath to be different, then it’s a good idea to use different things to create a different experience.

Natural Remedies for Stress Relief

So for this special bathing experience, why not give yourself the benefits from one of the finest green teas around?

And yes, you can really taste the difference that the jasmine flowers make! When these arrive, so nicely packaged, you’re going to feel like you’ve given yourself the best stress relieving green tea there is!

For sure, some nice jasmine chocolates next to your brewing herbal tea is a sweet little detail that adds a lot of delight. Chocolate has also been proven to relieve stress and lift your spirits. So use this little stress relief remedy to help you turn your bath from a regular, ordinary bath into a special, relaxing, stress relieving bathing experience:

Zen and the Art of Relaxation

Now the only things left for you to do, is to dim the lights, light the candles and prepare the music! To really get a lot of relaxing pleasure, you can try some zen music for your relaxing bathing experience. Sure, jazz or classical, music can work as well, yet this zen relaxation music has been really getting great reviews from everyone who’s tried it.

You can’t go wrong with choices like these.

And there you have it! A wonderful way to turn an ordinary, everyday routine into a ritual of relaxation, tranquility and peace.

Stress Relieving Bath: Your Stress Relief Solution

By setting the mood for even something as simple as bathing, you can transform your bath into a bathing ritual and gain endless benefits of deep stress relief. Once coming out of that kind of steamy bath, you will surely feel refreshed, relaxed and renewed.

Try this step by step guide to really “set the mood” with all of your potent little details in place so that you can really see and feel the difference it makes in your routine of life obligations.

Remember that your first obligation is to learn how to manage stress effectively so that you can give your best to your other life obligations. Try setting a date for yourself, just for you, because if you don’t do this for yourself, who will?

If taking that 1 solid, sacred hour out of a busy week seems not so doable, then try finding 1 hour in a month to give yourself this special experience. The benefits from your stress relieving bath are well worth it and so are you, so do yourself a favor and set that date for yourself!

I’m excited to know how it went for you, so please leave your comments!

Here’s to your stress relieving bath success!

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Essential Oils For Stress Relief

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How To Use Positive Affirmations To Change Your Life Direction

Posted by author on September 26, 2011 5 comments

Positive Affirmations: Change Your Direction In Life

If you greet each day with worry, fear, no specific direction, feelings of uncertainty or even apprehension, you’re not giving yourself your best shot, but you can learn to change that now. There is no reason you can’t learn how to manage stress over these feelings much more effectively to turn yourself into a positive, upbeat individual; it will just take some practice, that’s all. One of the simplest ways to change your perception over how you greet each day is to incorporate positive affirmations into your daily routine.

The last time you faced a challenge, did you tell yourself you couldn’t succeed or did you anticipate the opportunity to extend yourself as part of an exciting adventure? Too often those who tell themselves that they can’t succeed, don’t. They consider this justification of their anticipated defeat, not realizing that by determining the outcome before the event, that they actually led to their own demise.

Fortunately, by anticipating success you not only increase your odds of triumph, you also learn how to feel better if you have any setbacks along the way. Positive affirmations work to mold your perception and this is a vital key for releasing fear, worry and any negative emotion from the forefront of your mind so that you can more clearly see your path to victory.

Positive Words Lead to a Positive Attitude

Just as children can learn to think of themselves negatively as a result of hearing defeatist comments about themselves from parents, teachers or other important individuals, they can come to view themselves positively in the opposite environment. When those kids grow up, they carry these attitudes with them.

For those adults, learning to feel good about themselves takes time and practice. Positive affirmations are the verbalization of positive thinking. They allow you to harness the power of the spoken word in a most helpful manner.

Regardless of whether your positive affirmations are directed towards business success, improving a relationship or building your self-esteem, positive self-talk gives you incredible power to affect the results.

Why Positive Affirmations Work

When you phrase your affirmations properly, you take your subconscious thoughts and put them out in the open. The repetition reinforces your goals and the effect on your subconscious mind. Hearing your goals stated out loud helps strengthen your resolve to face the challenges with a good attitude.

Furthermore, if you are fighting against childhood training, each time you use a positive affirmation you are being reprogrammed to see yourself in a positive light. It doesn’t take long to form your new habit of positive self-esteem when you hear good things about yourself all the time.

A New Positive Outlook on Life Starts With You

Once you know what you want out of life, incorporating positive affirmations about that goal will help you stay on track to achieve it. For example, if you want to get a promotion at work, telling yourself daily that you have the skills, the drive and the talent to get the job is the first step towards success. Then all you have to do is to follow up with the actions that prove your affirmation to be true.

Do the work that displays your skills, drive yourself to take on extra responsibilities, and when the promotion is handed out, recognize that your hard work and inner approach made it possible.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going,” and if you use positive affirmations to direct your actions, others around will notice your drive and direction of purpose. Positive affirmations can help you greet each day as a wonderful adventure just waiting to happen!

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How Can You Effectively Manage Stress With Laughter?

Posted by author on September 26, 2011 2 comments

Managing Stress Can Be a Laughing Matter

The benefits of laughter are well documented. Here are 3 of the most often noted benefits laughter therapy gives you:

Decreased blood pressure
Improved attitude
Increased ability to manage stress as well as pain.

These are just 3 of the numerous advantages you reap with laughter.

Making use of humor is also a common way to put people at ease, but what if you could take it further? What if you could incorporate laughter therapy into your day for managing stress while improving your productivity? The first step is simpler than you might think!

What Laughter Therapy Does For Your Mental State Of Well Being

Laughter and a positive attitude have been proven to improve mental alertness. For anyone in a work setting, increased mental acuity has obvious advantages. Imagine making it through that late afternoon slump without feeling tired or overwhelmed.

Another advantage of laughing is that it helps give us a more realistic perspective. This form of cognitive reframing helps you view things in a better light, making it easier to take on additional challenges in a positive fashion. An upbeat attitude not only makes work easier, it makes the workplace more enjoyable.

Using Positive Thinking Quotes

When you first embrace the power of positive words and laughter to improve performance and stress management, it might not be so easy to immediately come up with ideas. If you are used to being hard on yourself, internalizing positive messages can be a “not so easy task” in the beginning. If you find difficulty coming up with thoughts, then simply hop on over to our positive thinking quotes page and borrow some ideas from there.

In this section, you will find many such quotations that you can use. Find the ones you like and turn them into your personal mantras. Repetition is an extremely effective way to create ownership of a message.

Laughter Therapy Is Backed by Science

It is easy to dismiss something as simple as positive thinking and its potential effects upon your day; however, recent studies at the University of Wisconsin offer concrete proof of its efficacy. Laughter therapy, which opens the gate to positive self-talk not only makes people more productive, it allows 3 big benefits:

Helps you to take calculated risks more effectively
Gives you better interaction with others
Offers you greater levels of satisfaction with your life

These benefits translate into greater effectiveness in all aspects of your daily living.

Furthermore, the researchers found that while participants in the study found it difficult to get started with laughter therapy, positive self-talk and positive thinking, the more often they used the techniques, the easier it became for them to switch into those positive modes of behavior.

How To Manage Stress More Effectively? Bring Laughter to Work!

The one place that we tend to hold sacrosanct in our process-driven society is work, but most recently, those barriers are starting to come down. Companies which have instituted laughter programs have found that their employees are more effective and exhibit improved job performance. Just starting the day with the positive emotions gained from a short laughter session has lead to greater overall results.

Managing stress in the workplace might not seem like it would lead to better results. But remember that research on laughter, stress management and a positive environment shows that happy, relaxed individuals actually work better and more efficiently. Try it for yourself to gain your benefits, too!

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Why and How Laughter Therapy Works

Posted by author on September 26, 2011 3 comments

Laughter Therapy: Take The Path to Good Health

Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused!

How can something as simple as laughter improve your overall health? Laughter is a remarkably complex mechanism, and the effects it has are equally complex. Combined with a positive attitude and the practice of visualization, laughter therapy can help people relieve stress, manage pain, overcome illness and live a healthier, more productive life.

What Happens When We Laugh?

Few people think about what happens when they laugh, but laughter actually causes a number of physical and chemical changes in the body. The act of laughing decreases the level of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline while simultaneously increasing levels of endorphins and neurotransmitters. Antibody producing cells increase in number and T-cells, which fight infection, become more effective–boosting your immune response. Some studies even suggest that regular laughter can help you fight off the common cold.

Laughing can even provide you with an aerobic workout without hitting the gym. Something as simple as laughing 100 times provides the same amount of exercise as 15 minutes on a stationary bicycle–and it is a lot more fun too! Laughter works all of your muscles: respiratory, facial, legs, abdomen and back, while increasing blood oxygenation and flow. Best of all, even fake laughter offers the same benefits, so you can “fake it till you make it” and still reap the rewards!

Laughter is the Best Medicine for Many

Laughter in itself offers many benefits for individuals suffering from many conditions. Medical journals cite the use of laughter and humor as helpful and beneficial to patients with chronic conditions, pain, depression and a number of other ailments. Additionally, laughter has the benefit of being contagious and social. People suffering from long term illness are often isolated, spending a great deal of time in treatment; laughter gives them an outlet which is more than just medically therapeutic.

Positive Words Lead to a Positive Attitude

We are so accustomed to speaking negatively that we often don’t realize when we are doing so. Self-deprecating comments meant to redirect compliments; negative self-image and defeatist attitudes carry over from speech into thought and from thought into belief. Conversely, using positive words when speaking about oneself or facing a challenge creates an atmosphere where success is much more likely. Which kind of lifestyle do you want to have?

Success Feeds on a Positive Outlook

Applying the positive effects of laughter in the workplace makes it a more pleasant place to work. Employees are more likely to face challenges with excitement if they feel good about themselves and their colleagues. Teaching your staff to incorporate positive self-talk, laughter and creative visualization isn’t frivolous; it actually increases performance. These valuable lessons learned at work can carry over into employees’ home lives as well.

It doesn’t take long to create the kind of workplace you want for yourself and your employees. A few minutes a day is all you need to incorporate some simple, effective laughter therapy exercises into your routine, which will aid in stress relief and improve employee results in your office and your family relations in your home.

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How Laughter Therapy Can Improve Your Life Today

Posted by author on September 26, 2011 4 comments

How Laughter Therapy Improves Medical Results

People get sick every day; many of them with life-threatening illnesses. Modern medicine has progressed to a point where it can do remarkable things, certainly, but it can’t do everything. The more doctors learn about healing, the more they realize that the patient’s attitude is just as important as the treatment provided. That is why laughter therapy can be so crucial to your health and well-being in even the most ordinary regular events of everyday life. Yes, a laugh a day will help keep your doctor away!

How To Manage Stress With Laughter:

Positive Attitude Is Key to Results

You hear it all the time….when a patient gives up there is very little even the best doctors can do for them to help their recovery. Conversely, you hear stories about patients who are given little hope of survival, yet make it through their illness and go on with their lives in an almost “miraculous” manner. What is the critical factor? Increasingly the medical profession is looking towards patients’ attitudes for answers to this question.

Norman Cousins is a wonderful example of how a positive attitude and positive self- talk can achieve remarkable results. Cousins, a well-known journalist and an adjunct professor at UCLA, researched the biochemistry of emotions. He was diagnosed with heart disease and eventually, a painful form of arthritis, but he effectively treated himself with laughter therapy to relieve pain and he encountered marvelous and successful results. You can read the miraculous facts of his story in his book: Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient

Creative Visualization Leads to Success and Helps Manage Stress

There is more to healing than just laughter. Creative visualization is a remarkably powerful technique when harnessed properly. Charles Fillmore, one of the founders of the Unity School of Christianity, injured his hip in a skating accident as a boy. The damage to his hip caused his right leg to wither until it was over 3 inches shorter than his left. In his forties, he began to practice a routine of deep meditation and positive affirmations which strengthened his leg to the point where he barely limped any more.

If positive thinking and creative visualization can do so much for a 30-year-old injury, can you begin to grasp the powerful effects and the many great things it can do for you in your life today?

Laughter Therapy: A New Form Of Healing For Stress Management And More

Where are Your Wounds?

Few people seem to get through their lives without encountering unexpected obstacles that leave unseen wounds. Whether your injuries are emotional or physical, managing stress through the power of positive thinking and creative visualization can help you bring about the changes you desire.

A positive outlook can improve your work environment, facilitate every relationship you have or help you greet each day with enthusiasm. Learning to laugh at yourself, or simply incorporating laughter into each day can have untold benefits to your health, your emotional well-being and your productivity. If laughter and positive self-talk can help chronically ill or injured people recover and live better, it can surely help you get the most out of your experiences.

Many of these areas are already addressed in pages on our website. It doesn’t take much time to incorporate some of the ideas you will find here into your daily routine, and the payoff for you is immense.

Start Your Day with Positive Self-Talk

Tomorrow, start your day with a bit of positive self-talk. Rather succumb to the regular routine of groaning about having to go to work, why not try viewing your job as a challenge that you can overcome? Celebrate your ability to get out of bed, congratulate yourself on picking a particularly attractive outfit, an appealing tie or nice jewelry. Repetition will make the practice easier, and the more you encourage yourself the better you will feel.

Laughter exercise is only one part of laughter therapy, but the overall goal is to help you become a happier, healthier, more effective individual in all that you do!

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How To Manage Stress: Positive Words and Their Effect On Your Life

Posted by admin on September 26, 2011 No comment

Learn How To Manage Stress With The Right Words

A man’s character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation. – Mark Twain

It is true what we’ve heard that the very words we use can change how we are perceived by others and how we perceive ourselves. Knowing that this is true gives you added incentive to use positive words, both when speaking about yourself and when addressing others, as well.

Can You Create a Positive Outlook on Life?

Dr Martin Seligman is a psychologist who leads the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. He has had a long and distinguished career treating depression through techniques designed to adjust the way people view their situation.

His hypothesis was that many people suffered from learned helplessness which kept them from achieving desired success. By implementing a routine which, among other things, required individuals to actually document on a daily basis their successes, he developed an effective treatment protocol; this was dubbed learned optimism.

I recently did a case study based around these types of ideas and the results were really astounding. I encourage you to read more about it on the blog post: How To Manage Stress To Gain Success-10 Benefits from A Case Study and A Formula.

As that post shows, we can all take a lesson from Dr. Seligman’s practice. Too often people focus on the negative aspects of a day and ignore those things which went well. Changing that pattern to embrace positive thinking takes practice, but it is extremely helpful in altering your perspective and so worth the effort!

Which Benefits Will A Positive Attitude Give You?

There has been much concrete research correlating a positive attitude and your health, so there is absolutely no doubt as to the power of positive words.

In a study conducted in Australia related to post-operative pain, it was found that when nurses used negative words to describe discomfort, patients reported more pain than if the nurses used neutral or positive words.

This same technique can be applied to the psychological pain you encounter when dealing with all types of people from the colleagues who are less than cooperative to the instigating next door neighbor.

It’s the difference between saying “I can’t stand the fact that my colleague is never on-time” or rephrasing that idea to reflect positive words by saying “My colleague continues to help me gain more patience”. With the former idea, you might feel stressed and irritated, but with the latter idea, you free your mind to focus on an aspect of your character which is gaining more power.

By cultivating a positive attitude, you can see that you have gained something valuable thru the wait. So in reality, that time spent waiting for your collegue can then be put to much more positive and practical good use.

Personal Development Goals: The World Around You

It’s also useful to remember that using positive words and presenting a positive attitude can have a profound effect upon both you and those around you too.

Optimistic people are generally more successful and happier than those who are pessimistic.

One study even found that optimism even offers some level of protection from mental and/or physical illness (Taylor: Optimism can protect people from mental and physical illness, et al., 2000. This is one of the reasons why we propose laughter therapy to help you maintain a positive outlook on life.

It is natural for you to want better family relations, more productivity in your profession and a healthy social life for yourself, so why not employ every technique you can to attain these fundamental goals? Even if you’ve never tried Laughter Therapy before, now is a great time to start!

Take The Right Steps Towards Positive Words

If you are searching for a way to increase your positive vocabulary, the below is a process that can really help you alot and it is fairly simple to apply.

Evaluate how often you use negative or pessimistic language throughout your day.
Find ways to rephrase negative language in a positive fashion. For example, rather than tell people what they can’t do, help them see what they can do. This applies to yourself, as well!
Start each day with positive affirmations. Pick your own or find a positive quote on our quotes pages. Repeat them throughout the day to help you keep your thoughts on track.
At night, try writing down three things that went well during your day or that you liked about your day.

Your Positive Outlook On Life Is A Great Stress Buster

If we think happy thoughts, we will be happy. If we think miserable thoughts, we will be miserable. – Dale Carnegie

Simply becoming aware of the negative thoughts you may have previously inadvertently allowed to become part of your day will help you to decrease them. It’s beginning the process of pinpointing these negative thoughts that is so fundamental and paramount to your being able to see where you can implement your positive affirmations and inspirational words.

Are the negative thoughts things you say to yourself while rushing out of the door or while having dinner? Are they most seen when you’re relaxing and joking with friends or perhaps, spoken by the gathering spot in the office?

Look for where these negative thought creep into your life so that you’ll have a clear idea of where you can eliminate them from your life. By taking small steps, such as using more positive, inspirational words, you can change your perceptions over time, allowing yourself to enjoy life more fully.

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What You Didn’t Know About A Positive Attitude and How You Manage Stress

Posted by author on September 26, 2011 2 comments

Managing Stress With The Power of a Positive Attitude

The Mayo Clinic recently reported on several of the benefits of a positive attitude. According to these findings, optimistic people enjoy the following advantages:

• Lower levels of distress and depression
• Greater resistance to the common cold
• Longer life spans
• Decreased risk of cardiovascular disease
• Better methods of stress relief
• Greater physical and psychological health

While the researchers remain unsure as to why having a positive outlook on life conveys such advantages, they prove that optimists are more likely to make healthier choices. Positive people may also decrease the effect of stress hormones on their bodies simply by dealing with stress better. When looking at life in a positive way, you can be happy about your experience in life because that’s what allows you to recognize a mistake when you’ve made it again. That can be your first step to making a positive change, by seeing the mistake repeated and embracing it with a positive attitude, instead of beating yourself up over it.

Reshape Your Perspective with Positive Words

If you are not a naturally positive person, it may seem like you are stuck with the way you view the world. The truth is that you can change. No one is suggesting that you spend your day falsely projecting a happy visage–that can actually be more stressful than being yourself. You can, however, learn to use positive words and implement positive thinking in order to affect a change in your moods.

5 Things to Incorporate To Get A Better Outlook

Perform an attitude check periodically.

Are your thoughts mostly positive or negative? If they are negative, make a conscious effort to change their flow. Being a careful observer of your thoughts and energy levels will help you see where you can improve.

Find opportunities to laugh.

Laughter is therapeutic on many fronts. Make time for humor in your day, whether with a daily joke, an entertaining program or just by searching for the funny aspect of a particular event.

Use positive words.

If you wouldn’t say something to someone else because it is hurtful or mean, then don’t say it to yourself either. This basic rule is an excellent way to start positive self-talk. Be kind to yourself and gentle with your speech.

Cultivate positive friendships.

By surrounding yourself with positive people, you can improve your ability to be positive as well. Negative people will drag you down, so eliminate them from your life wherever possible.

Smile at people.

Smiling is a very simple act you can perform each time you meet someone. Not only will it put you in a better frame of mind, those you greet will be more receptive as well.

Getting A Positive Attitude Takes Practice

Just like any other skill, learning how to gain a positive attitude takes practice. If you are unaccustomed to encouraging yourself and speaking positively, you will need to practice your new mindset. The more you practice it, the more natural it becomes and the easier it gets.

Other things you can do to improve your positive attitude include eating well and getting regular exercise and sleep. It is more challenging to maintain a positive outlook when you are tired or your body lacks essential nutrients. You will also enjoy better health if you treat your body well, so the benefits multiply with little effort on your part.

Remember that you are bound to have some setbacks where you fall back into your old patterns, but persist. The rewards of a positive attitude are immeasurable, so stick with it!

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Your 5 Day Plan For A More Positive YOU! Take The Challenge!

Posted by author on September 22, 2011 5 comments

Make a Plan for Using Positive Words

Set a Date Because Here’s Your Plan: Start Reaping Your Rewards!
When I’m not in my right mind, my left mind tends to get rather crowded, so I have to make some real effort to be positive if I really want to see results. A lot of people say they want to be more positive, but how many are willing to take a serious, measured approach toward obtaining this very feasible goal? In order to succeed with anything in life, you need a plan. Especially for someone new to the idea of using positive words, visualizations and positive affirmations. This can be a challenging process, but it’s also very exciting, so try this 5 day challenge! By formulating a secure strategy right now, you have a much better chance of reaching your goals. Let’s look at some tips that will help you accomplish your objectives.

Day 1

Sit down, either on your own, with your partner or with someone you trust, and set several SMART goals you want to achieve. S.M.A.R.T., meaning:

S for specific.
M for measurable.
A for attainable.
R for relative.
T for time bound

To determine these goals, you need to effectively and honestly evaluate your current emotional state of mind and select several areas in your life upon which you want to work. Alot is being said about emotional intelligence these days, so it is an important measurment to calculate into your plan of action when remembering to keep S.M.A.R.T. vision for your goals. You might choose to start with your goals for creating greater levels of emotional intelligence so that you will be assisted by that power in achieving your professional, personal, or social goals. Write your goals down, remembering to include a time frame in which you can realistically complete your goals.

Day 2

Get online and select several positive sayings or affirmations you will use from this point forward. Also, set priorities that are in harmony with your new plan. For example, if motivational stories help you, then place finding 3 motivational stories as your priority. Some people are more moved by inspirational movies, so find a few of those to watch during your weekly scheduling of activities. Whatever your source, find your fuel for positive action and set it as a priority in your life.
It is good idea to start your day with at least one positive affirmation. Repetition is most effective, so you may choose to have a particular affirmation for each given day. For example, on Monday you may opt to have work-related quotes, on Tuesday those relating to relationships and so on. If this is the first time for you to actively approach this idea, then you might choose to start off with 1 basic all encompassing affirmation and memorize that to utilize for your daily nutrition of positive words. Yes, we use the words “daily nutrition” because just as we take vitamins for our daily health nutrition, it’s a good idea to think of the positive words we need for our mental and emotional nutrition, as we have daily requirements for those, as well. This type of nutrition has enormous impact for your self-image! Remember to repeat your positive words throughout the day, as well. The more repetition you can give to these inspirational sayings, the more power they will have to be reflected in your life!

Day 3

Start to keep a journal of the positive events that occurred throughout your day. You may have completed a project at work or gone that extra mile at the gym. Perhaps you and your partner worked through some emotional difficulty without yelling. At first this exercise may seem stilted and forced, but over time it becomes easier to find successes to chart. The key is to seek positivity in your life and writing down the positive events in your life directs you to give focus to them as you write. It also gives an enormous boost to your self-esteem as you begin to tangibly see in black and white all of the positive changes that are taking place in your life. It enhances your gratitude and an attitude of gratitude will undoubtedly bring you more happiness and appreciation in your life as you continue to move towards your goals. Actually, these things give you the necessary fuel to accomplish new goals. This is a great way to keep your fuel for positive action at high levels.

Day 4

Continue to use your affirmations, and take another look at your S.M.A.R.T. goals. Will you need any help to achieve some of them? Would a mentor, coach or partner help you stay on track? Could a class give you some additional skills to make one or more of your goals more attainable? We have found a program for improving computer skills online and since it’s helped over 1 million people around the world, it could be useful for you too: Click Here!. This is a good time to find new tools that you will use to help you live a more positive life. If taking an new course would help, there are many you can try, for example: 360training.com- Leading Provider of Continuing Education, Certification & Career Skills and Compliance Solutions This is also a good time to properly assess how these new ideas fit you and your life. Do you see your positive outlook on life changing the way you face life? Have you been consistent with your application? If not, look for ways you can improve on that aspect. Look for how these positive words are reflected in your daily life and remember to enter them into the journaling process you started on Day 3.

Day 5

In addition to the rewards you will receive simply from living in a more positive way, what kinds of tangible incentives would help you keep on track? Small indulgences are wonderful motivators and, if you select the right ones, can actually increase your success, so it’s important to remember to reward yourself. If you have a goal of always looking professional at work, then rewarding yourself for a week of consistent journaling with a new tie, a manicure or a new day planner is a great idea. A book of positive self-talk affirmations by your favorite author may be your reward for facing and conquering a challenge successfully. These inspirational sayings can do alot to keep you on track, so it’s a good idea to surround yourself with them. Again, writing down your plan will help you stick to it and reach the goal. This act of writing is also a form of practice, focus, and consistency.

You’re Done and On Your New Path In Life

The process of changing how you react to life’s tests is a gradual one. In a way it is like cleaning out a particularly cluttered basement. The space has a great deal of potential, but you have to do the work to get all the old junk cleaned out before you can enjoy the new rewards and reap their benefits. Whether you are cleaning out your “vocabulary closet” or your “pessimistic attic”, give yourself credit for every little step, no matter how tiny it might seem. If this 5 Day Plan is a bit fast, then give yourself 1 week for each daily activity and make it a 5 Week Plan. The core issue is to get started and give yourself the time you need to implement these activities as consistent aspects of your daily routine. The kinder you are to yourself by using positive words and images, the smoother your transformation will be into this new optimistic you!

Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning. – Mahatma Gandhi

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Creative Visualization: Your Tool To Relieve Stress and Gain Success!

Posted by author on September 22, 2011 3 comments

Creative Visualization:

A Stress Management Tool:
Pave Your Way to Success

The use of creative visualization left the Ashram, which was a place where the gurus used to go for their religious retreats and instruction in Hinduism, a long time ago. And thank goodness for that because today, creative visualization is used in corporate settings, in sports settings and for tons of people like you and I as a way to help people move along a desired life path.

When used in conjunction with other stress management techniques such as positive affirmations and of course, positive self-talk, creative visualization takes on even more enormous power as a tool for both individuals and groups doing business as a team. This is an extremely effective tool for anyone who would like to learn how to manage stress effectively and live a happier life.

Why and How Visualization Helps Create a Positive Attitude

Medical doctors tell us that any skill requires a neural pathway be formed in your brain. Some examples of this are looking at the time and practice it takes to learn how to consistently score a free throw in basketball or the same kind of work it takes to routinely feel comfortable giving a public presentation; situations where there is also a high level of pressure. Athletic coaches have discovered that by including visualization techniques they can improve the success rate of their athletes in a wide variety of actions and they’ve proven that with their scores.

It is particularly interesting to notice that simply through the process of imagining yourself accomplishing your goal, you then get the help you need to achieve that goal. Creative visualization increases your optimism towards any goal or objective and this gives you more power to see the actions which keep you in harmony with making your goal a concrete reality.

This quote from CNN Health explains it well in this quote “Optimism can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you believe in a positive outcome, you are more likely to act toward it.” Part of the reasoning behind this is that you can visualize a perfect performance thousands of times in your mind without experiencing any physical fatigue because you are laying down. However, your neural map is taking notes of everything that you visualize and that is what moves you towards your goal in a kind of “auto-pilot” simplicity.

There are several steps you can start working with today in order to accomplish this process within your own neural map.

For the purpose of demonstrating the steps, we will use the goal of you making a successful public presentation as our example. But understand that the same steps apply whether it’s your performance on a court or a stage, your dissertation, your job interview or any activity where you would like to ensure successful results of all of your capacities.

Step One: Dissociated Visualization: It’s Easier Than It Sounds! Positive Thoughts

Close your eyes and look at your objective from a third person perspective. See yourself as a spectator would see you, giving your important presentation without getting flustered. Being part of the audience, you see how others are responding to the speaker (you) with nods and smiles. Everyone is attentive to what you are saying, your notes are in order, and your PowerPoint presentation is attractive and timed perfectly. You see yourself (from the spectator’s point of view) speaking smoothly and fluently from beginning to end. The audience applauds and moves eagerly into the Q and A session.

Positive result: Your brain (neural map) has now begun to lock into place the skills necessary for you to project this effect and feeling upon the spectators of your presentation.

Step Two: Associated Visualization Leads to Positive Thinking

Now see, or creatively visualize yourself as the presenter. Feel your confidence and surge of positive energy as you step up to the microphone! Imagine the notes in your hands, the projector next to you at the right distance, the lighting is correct and everyone is sitting attentively. You take a few deep, relaxing breaths and start speaking. Your tone is firm, smooth and fluent. Your audience laughs at the jokes you’ve prepared for them. They are clearly enjoying your talk and responding to you in a positive manner. You wrap up your speech confidently and answer questions without hesitation, accept the applause and step off the stage successfully.

Positive result: You have just trained your mind (neural map) to focus on all of the positive energy that you will emanate during your speech. Your actions will now find new focus and new inner guidance towards fulfilling that which your mind has now set as the desired result, your successful presentation.

Step Three: Intensified Associated Visualization Provides Stress Relief

In this phase you’re going to expand upon your second exercise. Take it to the deepest level of observation that you can think of, remembering the 5 senses of sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste.

In this case notice the way sound carries in the room. You might hear a cough or two, hear the rustling of papers or other common sounds. Do you tend to chew gum or a mint right before making a public presentation? Well then, taste the flavor of the gum or the mint. If you are familiar with the room you will be using, you can imagine yourself standing in that space. How does the carpet feel to the touch of the soles of your shoes?

Your goal is to make the whole experience familiar, comfortable, and solidly imprinted in your neural map so that when you do get there, your stress level is so low that you are able to tap into this enormous reserve of positive energy you naturally build up just doing this exercise.

Positive result: You have solidified your neural map and your auto-pilot function now goes out to bring in everything that is conducive to your achieving your objective.

Learning How To Manage Stress In Your Daily Life Routines: Applying Creative Visualization

If you find that you experience tension or stress every time you perform a certain task, then take note of the fact that creative visualization has the power to alleviate that stress before it starts. Practice going through these steps, starting with just a few minutes for each step. As creative visualization becomes more and more of a habit, you will find it easier to stay focused on the positive picture of you accomplishing your goals a lot more easily.

Here is a diagram to help illustrate how this process works. You can double click it to read the process up close:

How To Manage Stress:Use Creative Visualization Image

Creative visualization gives you more power to reach your goals while eliminating stress and tension, as well.

As researchers on creative visualization at Vanderbilt University advise, there is no perfect right way or wrong way to practice creative visualization, so try practicing your use of this great tool in a number of different ways. You can try creative visualization practice while lying down, while sitting in your favorite chair, with your eyes open, with your eyes closed, in silence, with the stereo on. What’s important is that you practice it. Then with practice, you will gain experience in what suits you best.

It’s quite normal if at first, things like the traffic outside, your neighbor’s barking dog or even the usually pleasant sound of the birds chirping, tend to enter your mind before the sounds you are now choosing to pre-create by living your ideal situation before it happens. That’s ok, just don’t give up on it. Persist with these steps and you will find it easier and easier to block out all of the sounds which don’t pertain to your creative visualization exercise.

How Do You Stop Worrying? Use Creative Visualization

“Why spend time worrying about

what you don’t want” ?

You can also look at it this way: how much time do you spend worrying about the outcome of making that presentation, giving that dissertation, or going to that job interview? A friend of mine said something that’s very true and I’d like to share it with you: “Why spend time worrying about what you don’t want” ?, which seems to sum it up in a nutshell….makes a lot of sense, too.

I don’t know about you, but most often, when I spend time “wondering about” the outcome of any given situation, I don’t always tend to see it in the best light. Often, spending time “wondering” is what opens the gateway for fear because wondering can easily turn to worrying. Creative visualization is a tool that will help you to eliminate the fear and help get you into the action of doing what you want to do. By living your actions of accomplishment first within your mind’s neural map, you have built-in images of relaxation toward your goals, instead of fear or tension.

Do you ever wonder about how some moment in time will turn out, then find yourself imagining the worst possible scenarios? I think we all do this from time to time, so this is why taking action to set up a positive path for your mind to follow will help you so much. It will kick in just when you need it!

Begin Practicing Your New Stress Management Skills Today!

Action has always been and might always be one of the best sources you’ve got within you to defeat fear, so take positive action and let creative visualization help you by keeping you focused, inside your mind and outside by leading you to the right actions to take and the right way that you would like for your 5 senses to react. With practice you will be able to face even your most difficult challenges with equanimity, peace and vitality.

Here’s to your creative visualization success!
P.S. Be sure to check out: How To Manage Stress 101: The 5 BEST Ways To Ruin Your Career Fast! because a part from the comical twist, you’ll find some people who used creative visualization to create success, and it might just surprise you! !

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How To Manage Stress: UseThe Essentials First

Posted by author on September 21, 2011 1 comment

Stress Management and Stress Relief:Your Essential Toolkit

Stress Relief Essentials for a Healthier Life

No one doubts that the world can be a stressful place. After all, with the state of the economy, few people can afford to slack off in any capacity. But just because you must remain focused upon your job, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy activities which will help you to manage stress levels and enjoy your life more. You can learn stress management strategies and skills even if they don’t come naturally to you. Let’s take a moment and look at why managing your stress levels is so important.

Why Bother Managing Stress? Use The Good Methods Or Else The Bad Methods Will Find You

Well, we already know that stress takes an enormous toll on your body. There are so many hidden ways in which stress can manifest. These health concerns and physical responses are possible results of your stress levels which, with the right stress management techniques, can be modified so that your quality of health and overall lifestyle, gain substantial and tangible improvement:

Stress Responses

Digestive Problems
Sleep Disorders
Elevated Blood Pressure
Chest Pain
Anxiety
Depression
Skin Conditions
Worsened Diabetes and Asthma
Headaches
Constipation
Short Term Memory Loss

Benefits of Managing Stress

Greater Immunity to Illness
Reduced Anxiety
Improved Sleeping
Lower Blood Pressure
Better Fitness and Vitality
Improved Control Over Medical Conditions
Increased Happiness and Fulfillment
Better Relationships
Improved Outlook
Greater Satisfaction In Life

Stress Management Techniques Work: What Can You Do?

Mens Sana Incorpore Sano / Healthy Mind & Healthy Body

There are many things you can do to relieve stress. Whether it’s taking a yoga class, getting together with friends regularly, practicing meditation, joining a laughter therapy group or taking up a hobby, studies show consistently that if you pay attention to your levels of stress and simply keep working at your stress management strategies, this will actually help you to live a healthier life.

Time Magazine published an interesting article on how laughter yoga is effectively helping to relieve many numbers of people of their stress, and the astounding results of a person who, after having witnessed bombings in the Middle East, was able to give up medications for depression, asthma and ADHD: Laughter Therapy Works!. There are many helpful tools to get you started in the right direction.

Stress Management Techniques: Tools To Manage Stress At Its Root

People often underestimate the power of positive thinking, positive words and even laughter. Before you even get out of bed in the morning, you want to set your attitude for the day. If you start your day with positive affirmations, then you will have a head start on stopping stress at its root, where it begins, which is in how you react to stressful situations. By doing this, you can be sure that the rest of the day will go better than it would have if you had let the outside world affect your mind before you set your inner mindset on the right path. Does that guarantee a perfectly great day? Of course not, but it does put you in a better frame of mind which will help you to face the challenges you encounter in a much more highly effective manner.

Stress Management Techniques: How Do You Respond?

Are you unsure of the benefits of positive self-talk ? That’s quite normal because most people don’t really focus on the choice of words they use, but you might want to consider this:
Research conducted at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide, Australia found that patients who were asked negative questions about pain such as, “How much pain are you experiencing?” reported pain twice as often as those who were asked neutral questions such as, “How are you feeling?” If such a simple change in language (meaning the active use of positive words) can change a patient’s perception of post-operative pain, can you imagine how much more it can do to help give you a positive perspective in life, especially regarding stress? Source: Negative vs. Positive Questions/Responses – Stress Management Essentials

The illustration of the difference positive words make for effective stress management strategies.

Why Optimism? Because It’s Healthier Than Pessimism!

It can seem very challenging to change your vocabulary in order to change your frame of mind, but you have the power within you to do this, and so much more! Millions of people have, and so can you. Sure, some people are naturally optimistic while others are naturally pessimistic. Still, you can train yourself to see the good in things if you just start applying a few of the stress management techniques that are provided for you throughout this website. Here are a few stress relief tips you can start using today:

3 Great and Effective Stress Relief Tips:

• Observe yourself when you use negative language.
Result: By noticing when you use the negative responses, you can then make a conscious effort to rephrase things neutrally. This a great method to help you pay attention to your stress levels, which will then keep you in the mode of improving your stress management strategies in a natural way.

• Keep a “good book” journal
Result: When you list a few things that make you feel good about your day, you enhance your joy! This is a great way to give yourself concrete proof for the positive responses you can choose to apply in your life. This will help keep you from falling into the habit of only seeing the negative responses which, as the study above indicates, can even change your perspective on stress, which we tend to perceive as a painful experience.

• Reduce the amount of time you spend with negative people.
Result: This will go a long way in helping you to maintain a healthier perspective and leave you the mental space to invite positive, like-minded individuals into your life. There’s a reason why we say “birds of a feather, flock together”! Why make this great effort to manage stress in your life just to invite it back in with bad company?

These small changes will have a profound effect upon your mood and most directly, on your stress levels. Successful stress management strategies begin with your decision to take small steps to improve the quality of your life. Once you put these small steps together, you will find huge improvements in your overall capacity to manage stress more effectively.

If you have enjoyed this post, please let us know in the comments section of our blog, share it with someone it might help, or stop by and say hi on facebook! Thank you!

There are many more simple ways to apply changes that you can access and we’ll be providing you with these opportunities here on our website and in our blog, so remember to bookmark our site and you can also sign up at the top left hand corner to receive more information, some of which is only available to our subscribers, so don’t miss out! Sign up today!

Here’s to the best of your stress management success!

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Self-Esteem and Laughter: How Do You Feel About You?

Posted by author on September 21, 2011 1 comment

Feel Better About Yourself With The Power of Laughter Therapy

Your Powerful Tool: Laughter Therapy

When was the last time you enjoyed a really good belly laugh? How about the last time you laughed at yourself? The power of laughter is impressive, but as we grow up we often forget how good it feels to laugh. Too often, we tend to get all caught-up in the regular routine of day to day life, but we can also choose to remember this important tool and take the vital steps in implementing it into our daily routine. Laughter therapy offers you an opportunity to get back in touch with your lighter side of life and it also provides you with numerous unexpected benefits as well!

Laughter Therapy Is Much More Than A Laughing Matter

A common misperception about laughter therapy is that all it means is standing with others in a circle while laughing. It is true that some of the exercises or group sessions do call for people to do exactly that, but there is much more involved. Laughter must be combined with positive self-talk, optimistic thinking, and an affirmative attitude to achieve truly remarkable results. Sure, you can practice this excercise in mnay ways, but the most important thing is to discover what works best for you. It might be that laughter yoga works best for you, or possibly, watching stand-up comedy is a good method. Whatever your method, you will gain tremendous benefits by incorporating this into your regular routine.

The Science Behind the Humor

The effects of humor and a positive attitude have not been lost on the medical community. In fact, a growing number of research studies are being conducted to evaluate the connection between humor, self-esteem and health. One such study, carried out at the University of Indiana, demonstrated a direct correlation between humor and health. The researchers reached the following conclusions:

• Laughter is believed to act as a coping mechanism to relieve stress, improve self-esteem and reduce psychological symptoms related to negative life events.
• Having a sense of humor is often connected to higher levels of self-esteem.
• Sense of humor was also related to higher scores and quality of life in undergraduates.

Does a sense of humor necessarily equal better self-esteem? No. However, the research, which is still in its infancy, indicates that people with an ability to maintain their sense of humor during a challenge fare much better than those who don’t. Furthermore, a sense of humor is vitally important for anyone seeking to improve their self-esteem. If you can laugh at yourself, then you feel less imtimidated by the world around you. In this case, no one is able to laugh at you because you have already set a platform upon which they can only laugh with you. Once you accept laughter therapy as a viable method for improving the quality of your life, you can utilize it for many areas in your life from improving your self-esteem to getting the promotion at work, or any area in your life that you seek to transform.

Laughter Is A Foundation For Healthy Self-Esteem

The first step in having a healthy self-esteem actually involves reducing the amount of negative thinking you’ve had in your daily experiences. Here are a few steps to take that will help you:

• Don’t Filter. Learn to see the whole experience, not just the bad parts. Negative thinkers tend to focus on one mistake in a collection of good choices, which rather obliviates the good choices made.

• Don’t Catastrophize. If one negative experience makes you think that your whole day is ruined, you need to put things back into perspective. Too often we tend to give permanent reality to temporary situations/chaleenges.

• Avoid Black and White Visualization. Few things in life are entirely good or completely bad. This holds true for people, too. Negative thinking forces you to see things in this fashion, either all good or all bad. Look for shades of gray and colors.

Once you start looking for moments where you engage in negative thinking it will be easier to replace those thoughts with positive ones:

• Practice Positive Self-Talk. Learning to speak positively to yourself takes time and practice, especially if it is a new skill. Be kind and gentle with yourself. Look for small things you can start with and build up. A good rule of thumb is that if you wouldn’t say it to someone else, don’t say it to yourself.

• Look for Humor. Once you take a step back from a stressful situation you can often find something funny in it. Just the simple act of laughing will make you feel better and boost your self-esteem.

• Choose One Goal. Changing everything would be overwhelming for anyone. Pick just one aspect of your life you want to work on and stick with it until you feel that you have made some good progress.

By using these techiniques, you are bound to see a difference in not only your self-esteem, but also in your life and your interaction with others.

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Positive Changes: Would You Like To Think Outside The Box? Here’s How!

Posted by author on August 31, 2011 1 comment

Would You Like To Think Outside The Box Like A Pro?
Then This Is For You!

Steps to Thinking Outside of the Box
With Positive Changes

Oftentimes you hear people talking about thinking outside of the box. The desire to think outside of the box stems from the need of positive changes and the need for new solutions to solve current and new challenges. There are certain steps that can help you practice this great skill of thinking outside of the box.

Be Optimistic:

The first step towards out of the box thinking or what we call critical thinking is to leave the status quo and move out of your comfort zone to get to the positive outcome.

People who practice pessimism can never bring about any positive changes. However, those who do succeed in bringing about a change have positive outlook towards everything.

Whether in the field of science or in art, historically speaking, those who have had positive words in their vocabulary were the ones who were the harbingers of change, not only in their lives but in the lives of our whole society.

Break the Conventions:

If you are doing today what you were doing one year ago, you cannot expect to get different results.

To get better results and effectively bring about positive change, not only do you need to have a positive outlook, but it’s also advisable that you do something thoroughly different in order to break the pattern. For this, you might find it helpful to boost your morale with positive words and positive self-talk so that you can begin to view things differently, as well.

Positive Affirmations:

You’ve probably already heard us talk to you about positive affirmations, and we cannot express its importance too often, but you can sure feel the difference and see the different results.

A firm belief in yourself will work wonders for you if you are planning to create a difference in your life at your workplace and at home. Once these affirmations are stored in your subconscious mind, you can see a positive change in yourself and within your conscious mind.

Simply saying something everyday like “I am confident” will make that happen for you and become your present reality. Therefore, positive self-talk with positive words will change your perception, and your attitude and this will result in a huge and natural change in your actions.

Consistency:

Positive affirmations translate into positive actions when they are consistently repeated over a period of time.

If you can rely on yourself to be consistent, then little by little, you will begin to feel that you are living your thoughts! This will translate into Critical Thinking.Org and give you the positive changes you desire.

Similarly, if you are taking an action to turnaround your life, stick to it and don’t give up on yourself. It is often said that successful people have the habit to repeat their success stories. Therefore, if you want a positive change, then repeat the entire process every day so that it stays with you for the rest of your life.

Self-Control

No change is easy and every change bring its own challenge, but it all becomes habit with discipline.

Therefore, it is important to maintain self-control if you would like to bring about a big changes in your life. Positive words and positive self-talk will help you to take charge of your capacity to regain your self-control, and thus, consistently apply the right technques to make “thinking out out the box” a natural part of your daily life.

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Team You: Positive Self-Talk To Help Yourself Succeed

Posted by author on August 31, 2011 16 comments

Positive Self-Talk for Success

Team You: Target Your Team To Win

Most people sell themselves short. They do everything they think is right, but still find themselves coming up short when it comes to being where they want to be in life. Positive self-talk is a way to change that pattern.

The problem is that we often fail to realize that winning is not the product of an external force but the consequence of an internal disposition.

With a positive mindset you can transform your team from any sad streak to a glad streak. And given this fact, you can use the right focus to turn TEAM YOU into a winning team. It’s time to let positive words help you to gain the right focus.

Napoleon Hill first introduced the concept of PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) in 1937, as the result that you get from using positive self-talk.

Team You Keeps You In The Evolutionary Process of Progress

Why try positive self-talk for yourself? This is the right habit for you to employ for yourself to get TEAM YOU where you want to be in life. Positive self-talk changes the way you feel about yourself and that’s what changes the way you interact with others in the world around you. This is also the right habit that you need to cultivate in order to effectively manage stress so that you can stay in the flow of rising to new heights in life.

Positive self-talk will keep you in the constant flow of “the evolutionary process of progress”, which is a desire located at the core essence of all humanity.

How does positive self-talk work to enhance your life?

As soon as you set a goal, then achieve it, you’re off to set new goals and achieve those too. So you already know how the evolutionary process of progress works. Remember when you used to measure every inch that you grew when you were a child? That’s how, even as children, we desire to stay in “the evolutionary process of progress”.

Team You, through PMA and positive self-talk, is simply your internal GPS system which keeps you on the right track in life. It also protects you from the detours that lack of attention to good stress management techniques can cause.

Team You is a valuable philosophy that will allow you to assess your strengths and weakness and determine how to get yourself ready to stay in your winning game!

Professional Athletes and Positive Self-Talk

The legendary football coach Vince Lombardi was a master of positive self-talk. He knew that if he reinforced certain messages with positive words, both he and his players would always be ready to handle the competition.

One of his most highly quoted phrases says that “confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.”

Think about that phrase as you examine your own level of confidence.

Do you have a positive attitude even when the people or things around you don’t seem so positive? Would you want yourself on your team or as team captain?

If not, it is time to make the necessary changes to transform yourself into someone you would! How do you go about this? You use the three P’s:

3 P’s To Improvement

• Positive Self-Talk

• Positive Reinforcement

• Practice

Positive self-talk is the foundation for a positive attitude; a positive attitude is the structure for positive words; and positive words make Team You a winning team!

Getting “amped” for the big game is not just something that applies to professional athletes, but much to the contrary. It applies to you and your big interview, your big meeting with your new client, your big presentation, your hot date, and all of the most important moments in your life.

Anyone who regularly engages in positive self-talk can pep themselves into feeling good through the use of positive words. As a result, the better you feel, the better the quality of your life is going to be.

Positive reinforcement is essential to strengthening those attitudes, behaviors and self-confidence that you want to exhibit.

When Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger feels that his offensive linemen have done a good job of protecting him, he buys them new suits and takes them out to dinner.

Positive Self-Talk Helps Change Behavior Patterns

You can use this tool to reward yourself for good behavior and increase the likelihood of doing them again. For example, set goals according to the following schedule:

• Macro: What would you like your big picture to look like?

• Micro: Where can you implement ideas from your big picture into your life right now?

• Mini Micro: Which actionable steps are becoming your new habits/How are you going to start?

Write them down and every time you meet a goal, give yourself a reward. Just like you find in the article 8 Easy Stress Relief Solutions, many types of therapy are useful for positive reinforcement, so find which ones suit you the most.

Buy those shoes you’ve had your eye on for a while, go get that new suit or indulge in a delicious dessert! Whatever it is, exercise the self-discipline to treat yourself only when you’ve done something to make your team a better one. This way you’ll look forward to treating yourself and continually display the behaviors that will continually transform your life.

It’s good to remember that just like with any useful skill, you need to practice positive self-talk. How you perform in practice is how you’ll perform under pressure. It’s all about forming the right set patterns of habit for yourself.

This type of habit forming pattern is the same skill that proficient musicians utilize to go out on stage in front of great masses of people with precision and mastery. Likewise, the more you practice positive self-talk, the better you’ll be at doing it and the easier it will be for you to do.

Self-Confidence Is Contagious

By training and disciplining yourself to practice your positive self-talk regularly, you will find yourself performing well under pressure and managing stress will get much easier to do for you. The more often you give yourself a chance to exhibit your new confidence and positive attitude, the more you will show others that you are the coach of a winning team, and the more they’ll want to keep you around.

Remember, confidence is contagious, and positive self-talk promotes your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Engaging in the 3 Ps will inevitably lead you to the 4th P: The Power of Positive Thinking. Having built up your confidence and self-esteem with positive self-talk and reinforced winning behaviors with positive reinforcement, you will have prepared yourself to understand that the power of positive thinking on a much deeper level.

These are the skills that will take Team You anywhere you want to be!

Here’s to your positive self-talk success!

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How To Manage Stress From Your Closet Clutter: 4 Tips

Posted by author on August 31, 2011 1 comment

Is Your Closet A Jungle? 4 Tips To Manage Stress From Your Closet

You can learn how to manage stress from your closet’s jungle because there are new tools to help you tame that jungle!

How many times have you been late for work, an important date, or even a casual meeting with friends simply because you opened your closet and felt like you had nothing to wear? This has happened to me all too many times too, so I know how it feels.

In fact, this common phrase we all know so well just might have been the inspiration for a fabulous book I’m going to tell you more about a little later called: I Have Nothing To Wear!: A Painless 12-Step Program to Declutter Your Life So You Never Have to Say This Again!*

That feeling of anxiety while rushing, all the while feeling like the perfect outfit eludes you, is very common and quite stressful these days. In understanding and managing stress effectively, it is very useful to see where you may have unnecessary stress in your life. This is why it’s a good idea to examine your closet. Your trip to the closet just might be one of those areas that needs effective stress management, given that this type of stress often affects people of every gender, field, background and nation.

Afterall, the fashion world and it’s many publications, like Voguehave supplied you with so many appealing looks, styles, colors, designs and fabrics to choose from that it’s no wonder it becomes difficult to select just the right garment for any given occasion.

You want to look your best all the time and you want to stay current with your style of dressing, so this can naturally lead to closet overload.

Your closet may have the latest hot look from every past season plus all of the current ones as well, but what does this mean when it comes down to actually finding something that you really need?

How To Manage Stress: Emotional, Motivational, Monetary Attachment

Having a nice variety of articles in your closet can mean a lot of stress because such a great variety brings feelings of being overwhelmed by such a mass amounts of outfits. Have you ever felt like your closet was about to explode because it is too stuffed with items? The surprising thing about this feeling is that it is self-imposed because most of the items in your closet are items that you really don’t need any longer.

They may have emotional value, being perfectly planned for a special moment yet to come, monetary value that cost an arm and a leg to purchase, or even motivational value, representing what you will fit into once those last 10 pounds are lost, but the real question is: What value do they offer you today, right now?

Jill Martin, co-authored with Dana Ravich on a new book designed to take the stress out of the mess. This was featured on The Today Show where she stated “You should always look like you’re about to run into your ex”.

Within that context, do those garments and their emotional, monetary or motivational value fit the bill?

If not, those garments will serve you best by being in someone else’s closet thereby giving you the psychological, visual and physical space to actually see the items you really do need. By trying this tip, you will find it easier to focus on your consideration of the plausible choices you have.

Remember, “stuff” is all the stuff you’ve kept for years and then throw away 2 weeks before you actually find a use for it! But hey…then, you’ll be off to get new stuff to keep!
So it’s ok, it’s just a part of life’s cycle.
(If you would like to learn how you can change cycles like those, then don’t miss this event below!)

4 Tips To End Closet Clutter: How To Manage Stress In Your Wardrobe:

1. Get rid of anything you have not worn in the last 2 years.

2. Get rid of anything that has stains, holes, or needs “beyond repair” type of mending.

3. Get rid of anything that does not fit properly, whether too tight or too loose.

4. Get rid of anything that is not current or timeless. It’s true that fashion repeats itself, but do you want your sound peace of mind to have to wait that long?

(Ok, if we’re talking that gorgeous Dior top that is still in great condition, or that suit which you wore when you landed your first big job, then those go in the attic to rough the wait!) Reduce Clutter and Get Things in Order with Everything Storage at Organize.com! SAVE $5 OFF orders over $75 with Promo Code: 5OFF75

Famous Words To Live By

Remember Oscar Wilde’s famous words while eliminating the unnecessary stress in your closet, “One should either be a work of art or wear a work of art”, and you can be both!

There are many positive ways to relieve stress associated with searching for the perfect outfit in your closet and transform the trip to your closet into a positive and fulfilling experience. Not only is managing your closet a good way to get dressed in a more time efficient manner, it’s also an effective tool in managing stress.

If you would like to try Jill and Dana’s 12 step program to recover control of your closet and get rid of unnecessary stress, then simply click on their book below:

Get your copy of the tips and tricks used by top professionals in the industry of organization: Click Here!

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After all of this work to get yourself clutter free, don’t forget to do something nice for yourself!
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How To Deal With Anger: Anger Management Solutions: 8 Tools

Posted by admin on August 15, 2011 2 comments

Anger Management: Symptoms and Solutions

All sorts of things can trigger pessimism and anger in us from traffic jams, to the sound of a new born baby crying.

But do you want to live life in a state of constant negativity, stress and anger?

Many times, we have all succumbed to the type of anger that drives us to say and do things we normally would not.

It is when you lose control over your thoughts and feelings, that your irritability and anger can do some major damage, but if you learn the right techniques of stress and anger management, you can effectively avoid the damage of anger.

Anger Management – How to Notice Before Your Anger Turns to Rage

Do you raise your voice when things go a bit downhill? Sometimes, people who are normally mild-mannered turn into yellers during a conflict. Perhaps, this article on 10 Secrets To Effective Conflict Management can help you.

When anger turns to rage, it can happen suddenly, where one moment you are self-controlled and soft-spoken, but the next, you find your voice several octaves higher and many decibels louder. Your vocal tone and pitch, along with the words that come out of your mouth provide key indicators of whether you are a prime candidate for good anger management tools.

Anger is often a prime trigger for stress.

Another stress symptom to keep in mind when monitoring your anger and stress levels is your body language.

Your fists may clench, your jaw may tighten, and your muscles might become tense. There is a definite need for good anger management tools immediately when you feel these types of stress symptoms.

Below is a list of common “Warning Signs” that will assist you greatly in recognizing when an explosive episode is nearing:

• Do you feel overwhelmed during an argument?
• Do you feel out of control?
• Do you have difficulty focusing on your thoughts?
• Do you have feelings of hostility?

There Is A Better Way To Manage Anger Effectively

8 Anger Management Tips For Immediate Positive Results

If you are experiencing any of the above, this might be a good time to take a look at how to recover your coping skills for proper stress and anger management. What we have seen to be very helpful for others is for you to try to shift your way of thinking and most importantly your environment.

You might be wondering how to have positive thoughts when you feel another raging episode of anger coming, and the solutions are actually quite simple, though not always so easy to do when emotions are flaring. However, these tools get easier to practice as soon as you start the habit of practicing them.

Below are some very useful tools for you to try:

8 Quick&Simple Anger Management Tips:

Do not accuse or blame others for the way you feel.
Treat others graciously even if they are irritating.
Keep from saying something hurtful and unnecessary.
Do not take your anger out on those around you.
Think things through thoroughly before you react.
Allow yourself a time-out to gather yourself together.
Do not expect more from others than they can give.
Avoid making important, definitive, decisions until tranquility has returned.

Keep Your Anger Management Tips Handy

Anger management activities help you find an optimistic solution.

Actually, you can apply these anger management techniques to just about everything in life. The fact is that everyone finds themself struggling with anger at some point in life. It is all too common for people to face problems with each other based on simple things that get taken out of hand. Yet, that does not minimize the need for solutions or the frustration that might be felt.

Remember, irritations will never cease, so help yourself to apply the right techniques in order to effectively manage stress and anger.

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Essential Oils For Stress Relief

Posted by admin on August 15, 2011 174 comments

CAN ESSENTIAL OILS HELP YOU TO RELIEVE STRESS TODAY?
CERTAINLY!

Let Essential Oils Help You To Relax
Relaxation needs to be an important part of every daily regimen. Most people focus on daily work schedules, responsibilities at home, taking care of their children, and the personal obbligations for daily living. If you want stress relief, then relaxation should always have a part of your day, however most people tend to forget the importance of relaxation and rest. Resting the mind and body helps renew energy levels and brings back the balance of mind, body and soul.

You can try essential oils which also induce a mindful state of calm which will help you forget of the day’s stressful events or what daily chores are needed for the next day. Relaxation does not necessarily mean taking a nap. Relaxation includes meditation and drawing your mind away from the stress and into a completely peaceful state. A state of total relaxation will soothe your whole body and effectively reduce the tiring effects of stress and fatigue.

Most of us have a busy and hectic lives. Essential oils for relaxation can help you relax and stay calm during hard times that would otherwise cause you to lose control from high levels of stress. They can be used at the end of the day and also at specific intervals during the day to help relieve you of stress and calm your nerves.

You can also use essential oils in aromatherapy within your office. Although the goal for relaxation methods is to give you a feeling of calm and create a sense of peace, they will not make you feel tired. Using essential oils in the office will give you peace throughout the day and help you maintain your temper during moments of intense stress. Used in the office, the oils will calm your mind during the work day so that you do not feel overwhelmed by stress or deadlines.

There are several essential oils that can help you relax in your home or in the office. Essential oils such as ylang ylang, chamomile, and neroli will help you relax throughout the day without making you tired. Each have their own unique effects, but when they are used together they are a powerful aromatherapy to ultimately make you feel at peace.

Ylang Ylang

Known as an extremely potent essential oil that is sensual and relaxing. The balancing effects from the exotic aroma leaves your whole body and spirit feeling relaxed. It is also a romantic aroma and it is perfect for date night or cuddling up with a loved one at night.

Chamomile Maroc

Widely appreciated and probably one of the most popular soothing aromas. This essential oil soothes your mind while relaxing your body. It will help you combat the irritability and anger that can happen from a day of high levels of stress. If you are a person who has a hard time withholding strong emotions such as anger, chamomile is a great essential oil to help you calm your anger.

Neroli

Very good for its combination of relaxation effects which restore your level of peace while rejuvenating your overall energy and body strength. This essential oil is distilled from blossoms of the bitter orange tree. It is an exotic plant that has deep effects on the emotional aspects of your mind. The fragrance can restore your mind to lower levels of stress and disperse the anger left in your body. Irritability will be lessened when this essential oil is used within the office.

All of these oils will help you throughout your day even if used individually. Used together and they will remove the heavy emotional effects of stress and tension. Removing the negative effects of the day can help you maintain your balance, and it is a major factor of dealing with anger management. You will find yourself more productive, and used regularly, you will have a better, more friendly attitude. Use these essential oils in combination with other stress relieving oils and you will find your whole presence to be more positive.

Aquis Exfoliating Towels and Cloths, Plus Eco Tools Sponges and Loofah’s for great skin at Touch of Europe

Here are some other tools you from which you can obtain great benefits:
(view the slideshow, placing your mouse over pictures you would like more information on, then click on the one you like most.)

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Positive Attitude Quotes

Posted by author on August 10, 2011 2 comments

Positive Attitude Quotes

Great For Use With Your Positive Affirmations

I’d like to share with you some of the positive attitude quotes that have really helped a lot in forming positive thought patterns. You also get an easier approach to laughter therapy and gain greater benefits from stress relief methods when you use positive attitude quotes. They have the marvelous power to cleanse your mind from the challenges of the day.

A really neat idea is to combine these with Wisdom Cards in order to keep your mind from negative thought patterns of pessimism because it truly works wonders. If you want a surge of positive energy fast, then this is the right path for you.
Try these useful quotes and cards to lift your spirits and keep you on the right path in life!
(list last updated March 2012)

Inspirational Quotes: A Positive Attitude Stress Buster

Champions are not made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them, a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.
-Muhammad Ali

Your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your altitude.
-Zig Ziglar

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.
-B. Olatunji

Pessimist: A person who says that O is the last letter of zero, instead of the first letter in the word OPPORTUNITY.
-Author Unknown

Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don’t have any problems, you don’t get any seeds.
-Norman Vincent Peale

It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.
-Author Unknown

There is no future if we only repeat the past.
- Unknown

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow”.
-Mary Anne Radmacher

Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.
- Dr. Seuss

Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we will find the way.
- Abraham Lincoln

The only way to be who you want to be is by being what you haven’t yet been.
- Sally Edwards

The point of power is always in the present moment.
- Louise Hay
That one comes from my personal collection of power thought cards.:-) I love how beautifully illustrated each powerful thought card is designed and they’re fun to read through with your morning coffee. You can order your own set here: Power Thought Cards

A man’s reach must exceed his grasp, or else what’s a heaven for?
- Robert Browning

Great spirits often encounter violent opposition from mediocre minds.
- Albert Einstein

Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it.
Action has magic, grace and power in it.
- Goethe

Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.
- Pamela Vaull Starr

Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by others doing it.
- Unknown

A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.
- John Maxwell

Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.
- Karen Ravn

Some people dream of worthy accomplishments while others stay awake and do them.
- Unknown

Don’t find fault. Find a remedy.
-Henry Ford

Heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the treasure of their true selves.
–Carol Pearson

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.
-Thomas Jefferson

The wise person questions himself, the fool questions others.
–Henri Arnold

Look for opportunity. You can’t wait for it to knock on the door… You might not be home.
–Jinger Heath

One may have good eyes and yet see nothing.
–Italian Proverb

Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out.
–Anonymous

It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.
–William James

What we learn we learn by doing.
–Aristotle

If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to it!
–Jonathan Winters

I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp, in-focus picture of it in my head.
-Jack Nicklaus

A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.
–Sir Francis Bacon

Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.
–Babe Ruth

There is nothing wrong with making mistakes. Just don’t respond with encores.
–Anonymous

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you’ve enjoyed these positive attitude quotes and that they help you not only obtain greater stress relief, but also help you to lead a more satisfying life. It’s very helpful if you use these positive attitude quotes when practicing your positive affirmations. They also work extremely well to make it easier for you to practice positive self-talk. with success and ease!

This list is continually updated, so please remember to come back to see the new updates.

Do yourself a favor and try these power thought cards for yourself. They really help you make your positive attitude quotes stick! For less than 25 bucks, it’s one of the best investments in yourself you can make:

Combining powerful thought cards with powerful wisdom keeps your mind refreshed, and that means less stress, so grab your set today.

Then, surf on over to this link to find out how to put these powerfully positive attitude quotes and words of wisdom into action by reading The Power Of A Positive Attitude and get your 5 Tips of actionable steps to take for greater stress relief today.

You can get another great, easy to follow plan here: 4 Step Positive Words Action Plan, so surf on over!

Here’s to your positive attitude and stress management success!

Don’t forget to share these with someone whose spirit could be lifted up by them, as well.

Would you like to discover more resources, ask questions and post a comment? Then hop on over to our Blog where I’ll be happy to respond to you personally.

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Positive Thinking Quotes

Posted by author on August 10, 2011 1 comment

The Best Positive Thinking Quotes

Use The Power of Positive Thinking Today

Here, I’d like to share with you some of the best positive thinking quotes that really helped a lot in strengthening your mind tools. You’ll find it much easier to approach all of your stress management techniques by keeping your mind fresh with positive thinking quotes. So let’s take a look at some of these helpful quotes to get you on track with positive thinking!

You are capable of much more than you are presently thinking, imagining, doing or being.
-Myles Munroe

Never tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon.
- Anonymous

Act as if you were already happy and that will tend to make you happy.
-Dale Carnegie

The World is what we think it is. If we can change our thoughts, we can change the world.
-H.M. Tomlinson

If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.
-Marcus Aurelius (A.D. 121-180)

There would be nothing to frighten you if you refuse to be afraid.
-Gandhi

Like the wind that carries one ship east and another west, the law of autosuggestion will lift you up or pull you down according to the way that you set your sails of thought.
-Napoleon Hill

If we think happy thoughts, we will be happy. If we think miserable thoughts, we will be miserable.
-Dale Carnegie

Within you is the divine capacity to manifest and attract all you desire.
-Wayne Dyer

Fortunes gravitate to men whose minds have been prepared to attract them just as surely as water gravitates to the ocean.
-Napoleon Hill

You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.
-James Allen

People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.
-Norman Vincent Peale

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
-Winston Churchill

When you do nothing, you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better.
– Unknown

We never do anything until we cease to think about the manner of doing it.
– William Hazlitt

Plant the seeds of expectation in your mind; cultivate thoughts that anticipate achievement. Believe in yourself as being capable of overcoming all obstacles and weaknesses.
– Norman Vincent Peale

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.
–Anatole France

To be a champ, you have to believe in yourself when nobody else will.
–Sugar Ray Robinson

To begin to think with purpose is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment.
–James Allen

Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.
–Norman Vincent Peale

They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.
–Edgar Allan Poe

The man who has no imagination has no wings.
–Muhammad Ali

The barrier between success is not something which exists in the real world: it is composed purely and simply of doubts about ability.
–Franklin D. Roosevelt

When you cease to dream you cease to live.
–Malcolm S. Forbes

Big shots are only little shots who keep shooting.
–Christopher Morley

The most important of my discoveries has been suggested to me by my failures.
–Sir Humphrey Davy

One person with a belief is equal to a force of ninety-nine who have only interests.
–John Stuart Mill

Plough deep while sluggards sleep, and you shall have corn to sell and to keep.
–Benjamin Franklin

Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall at last unveil.
–John Ruskin

Thank you for stopping by! This list is continually updated so please don’t forget to check back! Here’s to your positive thinking and stress management success!

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Aromatherapy Treatment: Make Your Hands Softer Than Silk! Relieve Stress

Posted by admin on August 10, 2011 170 comments

Aromatherapy Is The Treatment To Make Your Hands Memorable!

These days, knowing how to manage stress effectively starts with knowing where to avoid stress before it begins.

Many have written to me about social stress and I have a lot in store for you on this important topic in upcoming posts. Certainly, laughter helps break the ice of social stress. But today, we’re going to start with another very important basic.

Many times, the root of social stress starts with the idea of meeting new people. Whether you’re being introduced to your new hot date or you’re applying for a job, your handshake is essential to meeting new people. Wouldn’t it be nice to have people walk away from your meeting with them and say “Wow, those are the softest hands I’ve ever shaken”?

Silky soft touchable hands can be a real confidence booster! Feeling the results is something that can make positive self-talk flow a lot easier.

Read on because here’s how to arrive at your next pow wow moment with pizzazz!

Paraffin Wax Treatment For Soft Silky Hands!

Even washing your hands with soap can dry them out and make them hard to the touch. You need to counteract the effects of these drying factors and natural elements like the sun and wind. Without giving your hands some special attention, they can end up dry, chapped and even cracked.

I’ve tried many different treatments to counteract these harmful and even embarrassing feelings of “sandpaper hands” and one product I’ve enjoyed is Malcolm’s Miracle Eco-Green Moisturizing Gloves – 100% Made in the USA with Biodegradable Packaging!. I like the fact that not only does it get the job done like a charm, but it’s also made with biodegradable packaging, so that makes them eco safe and eco good.

But everyone knows that paraffin is the absolute best for the maximum of skin softening and conmfort. Paraffin treatments give you the softest skin in the most luxurious way that nothing else comes close to. And now, you can get this type of deluxe treatment right in the comfort of your home without the hassle of going to a particular spa.

Here’s how to give yourself the star treatment!

You will need:

*1 block paraffin wax (about 4 oz)
*an ounce of oil
*20 drops of essential oil… lavender is rather nice
*a few drops of olive oil ( you will use this to coat your hands)
*a casserole dish that you have greased with oil before hand
*plastic sandwich bags

Melt the paraffin, the ounce of oil, the scented oil in a double
boiler. Be sure to use a double boiler for safety purposes.

Very carefully pour the wax into the dish and wait until a skin has
formed on the top of the wax. When this happens, the temperature
should be about right for submerging your hands.

**But before you do, be sure to test the wax for comfort in case the wax is still a
little too warm for your liking. Testing a little on your wrist is a good idea.

Then get your hands ready by washing them and then pat them dry with paper towel.
Smooth on the olive oil and be sure to cover every inch of your hands and fingers.
Dip each hand into the wax repeatedly until you have several layers of wax built up on
your hands. Have someone help you put on the sandwich bags onto each
hand and then relax for about 30 minutes.

For added benefit, place a bath towel over your hands as you wait. This is a perfect time to
listen to some soothing music!

Now comes the time to remove the wax… simply peel it away.
Start at the wrist area and pull it down. It should come off in large sections.
Give yourself a little hand massage and you are done!
You now have silky soft hands!

Taking Care of Yourself Helps You To Manage Stress More Effectively

Of course, if you’re not much for the do-it-yourself method, you can always try these: SpaSensials Moisturizing & Deep-Conditioning Hand Treatment, 6 Pouches, (Pack of 2) as this too, will give you silky soft hands! I like wearing these at night knowing how nice a feeling it is to wake up to noticeably softer hands in the morning.

Learning how to manage stress has never been more fun when you use methods like these to take good care of yourself. This gives you a confidence boost and the softest handshake ever! Have fun with your home spa treatment!

Let us know how it turned out for you in the comments section, and don’t forget to share this with someone you think it could help.

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Stress Management: Stress Relief For The Workplace

Posted by author on August 10, 2011 No comment

Conquering Job Stress

Do you feel over stressed at work? Maybe a better question might be who doesn’t feel stressed at work because 80% of Americans report feeling over stressed from work related issues. With this staggering number, finding a new job is not the answer to getting rid of stress.
It’s much easier to learn better methods of stress management.

In the process of learning new tools that can help you manage stress in a better way, you can discover many new things about life, in general. Have you ever tried tools such as creative visualization and positive affirmations? Well, if you haven’t, then you might want to give them a try because used together, they provide you with a powerful plan of action to relieve your work related stress.

These are 2 very powerful tools for improving your capacity to work more efficiently and live more vibrantly. Whether you are looking for a new job or looking for ways to find more happiness with the job you have now, it’s very useful for you to have the best tools to apply. You get extra added benefits of feeling so much better about everything that you do, when you work with the right tools, so definitely check those out.

Job Stress: How To Manage Work Related Stress

Managing Stress In The Workplace

There are many different methods that you can use to help relief the pressures of stress you are feeling at work. Relaxation techniques such as meditation, breathing exercises and massage therapy are good tools that you can use. They can help you learn to calm down quickly and effectively. Implementing aromatherapy in your workspace will also effectively soothe your mind and offer you stress relief.

You can also relieve stress by being selective about which issues you fight for. Things are going to happen at the workplace they are not fair, you do not like and are just plain wrong, but you can only let so much bother you. You will have to learn to let some things go and learn to determine what is important and what is not. Do you have too much paperwork at work? This is a tool that can help you with that: Save up to 20% by Upgrading to Quickbooks Pro or Premier 2012. Reduce Paperwork and Save Time.

Your Thoughts Make A Big Difference:
How To Manage Stress Effectively

Another great way to help fight stress is to learn to visualize your thoughts in a creative and effective way. There has been a lot of research in the area of positive thinking and creative visualization and how your thoughts can control certain outcomes.

The theory is that if you imagine yourself being less stressed and successful at work, that you will find new ways to make that your reality.

This way of thinking is used as a popular training technique by many professional athletes as a force to keep them going even when things get tough. It creates a “can do” attitude within yourself and keeps you reaching for your goals. This can help you to effectively manage stress by allowing you to focus on what you can do, instead of the things you cannot do or the people you cannot change.

Learning to effectively manage your stress is a must if you are going to be successful in any work setting. A good way to start this is to organize your workload into smaller and more manageable steps. This will allow you to stay on top of your work better and can help prevent you from over scheduling yourself.

Personal Care Is Fundamental For Managing Stress Effectively

It is also important to take care of yourself outside the office. Unless absolutely necessary, you should leave your work at the office and relax at home. You need to have time to rejuvenate from day to day. Getting a good night’s sleep, eating right and daily exercise can go a long way in helping you to obtain stress relief in your life.

Job stress in inevitable and in every type of work environment. The only way to reduce your job stress is to learn how to recognize your stress levels and how to appropriately handle them. Here, we will continue to cover the best tools to help you conquer your stress once of for all.

If you would like more information, don’t miss the Blog where you can ask questions and post comments. You will also find many more posts related to these specific issues of job stress.

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How To Manage Stress From Retirement

Posted by author on August 10, 2011 No comment

: You can manage retirement stress just like any other area that needs stress mangement.

Laughter Therapy For Retirees

Everyone thinks that when you retire things will be stress-free and you can kick back and relax without any worries. The truth is that the stresses of life follow seniors right into retirement. Laughter therapy, positive affirmation and effective stress management techniques can all help face the stress of retirement.

We have all heard it said before that laugher is the best medicine, and laughter helps you not only to greatly reduce stress but it also helps you fight depression. This is an important factor, since about 15% of all seniors deal with major depression. Even small doses of laughter are able to help keep your mind positive and reduce worrisome thoughts.

The greatest thing about using laughter as the best medicine is that everyone, no matter what their health condition, can benefit from it. Many nursing homes already understand the importance of laughter to help keep their resident’s attitudes positive and stress levels low. This is why they bring in comedic personalities and organize activities that will guarantee a smile.

How to manage stress from retirement image

Retirement stress is an issue that has or will affect all of us at some point in life.

Stress Relief Remedies: Understanding the Changes

Another thing that you can learn more about dealing with is the changes in your ability to perform the same activities as you used to. This can be very stressful for many retirees. You might feel embarrassed or angry because of these difficulties and changes.

However, if you take the necessary steps to understand these changes beforehand, things will be much easier for you. This is why it is extremely important to constantly remind yourself of the good things through good use of positive affirmations. It’s extremely helpful for you to remember your positive attributes through the good use of positive self-talk, too.

You can effectively use positive affirmations to assist you in dealing with these changes by saying things good things to yourself. Try saying things like: “I enjoy being able to take my time and do things slowly” or “by doing things slowly, I embrace each moment with more peace and joy because I don’t rush through things anymore”. Come up with a nice list of reasons why being retired is better for you.

How Seniors Benefit From Effects of Laughter Therapy

By using the right positive affirmations can you can discover a whole new view of retirement and laughter therapy helps get you there. This is essential for helping yourself to keep a positive attitude about retirement. By repeating the positive affirmations which you like the most, you will gain their astounding effects which enable you to meet change with victory!

It is true that as we age; we find it harder to complete tasks that used to be easy. This is a fact that cannot be changed, but a way to battle this is to always remind ourselves of what we can achieve, and allow ourselves to stay as independent as possible. It is important for seniors to receive praise often, because this helps keep away from feelings of giving up.

Whether you’re in retirement or you’re planning for retirement, it’s important to consider the change in lifestyle activities that retirement will bring. Many retirees were used to working 40-60 hour workweeks, so it’s not so easy to go from that to having a world of free time on your hands. A good decision to make beforehand, is to create a list of activities you love doing.
These are some questions that can help you to understand which types of activites and decisions you’ll want to be preparing for:

Would you like to continue your education?
Do you prefer an active lifestyle or something more sedentary?
Which arts and crafts have you always enjoyed, but left on the back burner?
Is there a hobby that you could turn into a new, mind enhancing, passionate activity?

Once you have a better idea of how you would like to spend your free time in retirement, you have a game plan to follow and this is what prevents retirement depression more than anything else. You can plan out all sorts of activities for yourself such as:

Try some laughter yoga! It’s the new craze for seniors everywhere!
Get yourself a really good movie to watch which is centered around victorious seniors.
Since you’re already reading this in the internet, you can click on The Top 10 Funniest Websites which will start giving you the benefits of laughter therapy, right now.
You can try a new hobby you’ve never tried before like gardening or karaoke.

Natural Stress Relief Remedies

There are several other steps that can be taken to ensure that as seniors, you are successfully managing stress over retirement. Meditation, yoga, aromatherapy and specific stress relief breathing techniques are all ways that can quickly and efficiently help you to find immediate calm and tranquility. There are all sorts of classes available and even coaches who can teach you in your home. Counseling is also a good alternative if you are having a particular difficulty dealing with being retired.

Other Stress Relief Methods

Without work and children to keep your mind busy, you may find yourself thinking a lot about the things such as relationships, your health and your finances. It is no wonder people get stressed. But games and activities geared toward using your brain power can be a good source to keep your mind off of these things.

Puzzles, trivia games and reading are good tools to accomplish this. It is important that you keep your mind and body vital, active and enthusiastic in your approach to retirement, and these specific types of excercise, which take on the form of games, are specifically formulated to help you obtain this valuable objective.

Once you understand how stress can affect you during retirement, it will be easier to find solutions to help offset this stress. Laughter therapy, positive affirmations and effective stress management techniques will all help you to better move into your retirement years.

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College and School Stress Relief: Begin with Positive Thoughts

Posted by author on August 10, 2011 No comment

Alleviating College And School Stress

Going away to college is seen by many as a rite of passage. It’s a time to make new friends, and prepare for your future. Classes, professors and activities are all part of a new world which will take up most of your time.

Whether you’re living in a dorm or at home, you are making some big changes. And as always, with change, comes the stress of adapting to something new . You wonder how a new step in life which is good can lead to stress. Stress is everywhere and rears its head in even the happiest of times. Of course, one thing that can help this rite of passage is a nice care package, such as those found here: Student Care Packages.

College and school stress has a number of causes. First, there are assignments that must be done. In school, the grading of these assignments is a deciding factor on where you will go to college. In college these grades can make or break your future depending on what field you choose.

This is where positive thinking and positive thinking quotes can help you to alleviate the stress of life. If you envision a positive future for yourself, and in your mind and then plan the points, you will find the stress decreased. That’s the way to access all effective stress management techniques, and that’s when stress will cease to influence your life in negative ways.

Stress relief can come in big and small packages. For instance, the simple excercise of breathing in and counting to 5, holding your breath for a count of 5 and then breathing out while counting to 5, can bring you to a relaxing and almost meditative state. Repeat this simple exercise 3 times and you will notice a huge difference and it only takes minutes to get this big benefit.

Journaling is also a good way to write out what you are feeling so that you can see it more objectively. Remember, there is a cause of your stress, whether it is school or college, you want to pinpoint where it is . Utilize the power of positive thinking in your journal entries by keeping an open mind towards your possibilities to overcome challenges.

For young girls, 8-16, there is a new online games website dedicated to empowering, encouraging and uplifting you. It’s already very popular with lots of girls, not only for the fun that participation offers, but also for the wonderful gifts that are won! To get more information on that website, check out How to manage stress: something special for girls.

When you go to school or college, many things change. Your interests change, your social circle may change and even your taste in clothes and activities. You begin to explore different cultures and new points of view through your studies, and this can also cause stress.

As the old adage goes, laughter is the best medicine. Sit back and laugh with appreciation of all that is good and solid in your life. Laughter will bring you a sense of peace which will help you to push the stress away.

The power of positive thinking will also assist you in making new friends. A person who exudes positive thoughts will always attract other positive people. This is a fact.

It is also a known fact that stress relief comes in the form of hanging out with friends and sharing experiences. If everyone is tense because there are exams coming up, simple laughter is the best medicine to break the ice of tension!

Your New Tool

With the benefits of laughter, you have a new tool in stressful moments that you and your friends will love!

Let laughter and positive thinking be your “pocket professor” and you will have a new tool for dealing with all types of school stress.

Remember laughter and positive thinking are just as important as grades and new experiences.

Learning different stress relief exercises can bring you into the happiest frame of mind and do the most to give you a positive outlook upon life. These are important tools to learn not only to do your very best in school, but also for doing your best in life, in general.

School and college can be both stressful and anxiety provoking, so it’s really useful to acquire all of the most powerful strategies you can muster.

You are constantly being tested on what you know and in college, you are also being judged by the character you possess.

Remember that you have already come far and there are many steps ahead. With laughter and positive thinking you will most definitely make your best mark!

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Be Careful….. Travel Stress Can Affect Your Vacation Too!

Posted by author on August 10, 2011 No comment

HOW CAN YOU BE STRESSED WHEN YOU ARE ON VACATION?!

Discover How To Manage Stress…Even While On Vacation!

The last time I got ready to go on vacation, I actually looked like my passport picture! So you can just suffice it to say I really needed that vacation, and I certainly did not want anything messing it up. Like most people, I don’t tend to associate the word stress with vacation.

In fact the word stress usually precedes the need for a getaway. But life is complicated and stress seems to weave its way into everything you do.

Vacation stress, although rarely discussed, is certainly something that occurs when planning the vacation, going on the vacation and coming home. It’s a really good idea to think of planning your strategy for dealing with travel stress before you leave so that your vacation can be full of more up time.

By addressing these issues now, you already know what to expect and how to handle it, afterall, you will always be traveling for some reason or another, so why not get some good tactics in your handy toolbox so that you can travel smoothly? These tips sure helped me alot, and I hope they can be helpful to you too.

When Planning Your Vacation, First Focus On Stress Free Plans

Planning can be hectic as the internet offers so many options for you to choose from. It’s great! But it can be very time consuming, as well. Things that used to be so simple are now so complex given the creation of the internet. You want to go to Seattle? Well there are hundreds of ways to do it.

The benefits of laughter will surely help you in the planning of your vacation getaway if you can laugh at these mind-boggling aspects from a lighter perspective, rather than feel overwhelmed by them. This is what incorporating laughter therapy into everyday experiences is all about. It’s a surefire way to keep the need for stress relief at bay. After all, laughter is free, but your vacation isn’t.

Something free and healthy like laughter, is sure to help alleviate the stress of planning, packing, doing and going, and when planning for the costs of your vacation. You can surely benefit form the vast amounts of assistance you will find readily available on the internet. One such advantage is having your own dedicated personal travel concierge 24/7, especially when you find such cost-efficient assistance readily available for you. Why deal with one of the biggest causes of travel stress if you don’t have to? I had such a great travel experience, I can’t help but let you know these people really help you stick to the fun of going on vacation:

Maintaining Optimism When Traveling To Your Destination: Great Way To Manage Stress

But how? Think of the wonderfully soft bed you will be sleeping in or the chocolate that is sure to be on your pillow when you arrive. These positive thoughts can really change your disposition while standing on line at the airport! Usually, that’s when most people say “I want stress relief now”! So, it’s a good time to implement your positive affirmations.

By bringinig your positive thoughts and positive words into every process during stressful moments, you will form some wonderful new habits. This is the best way to explore how to manage stress more effectively and get athe results you want.
Once you begin to unpack, (and hopefully you have already taken advantage of the speical offers available to you at: Great Deals on Luggage, Backpacks, Bags, and Accessories at LuggageGuru.com!), remember that you have everything you need to make for a great break from the hectic life you have come to know.

Believe it or not, studies have proven that going to a new place and leaving the comfort of your surroundings can be a cause of stress….even if it’s your vacation. We tend to like our comfort zones. So even if the regular routine seems to be stressful, a change in environment can take you out of your comfort zone. At the beginning, that’s a bit awkward, but as you warm up to your new surroundiings, you’ll feel more at ease.

Once again, the benefits of laughter will be a good tool for you to remember. It will help you to understand that everyone feels a bit like a stranger in a strange land, at first. That’s totally normal. Give yourself time to get acquainted with your new surroundings and make up in your mind that you’re going to have a great time! Laugh because the party has just begun and know you are destined to have a lot of fun!

Did You Remember To Pack Ample Positive Self-Talk?

Positive Self-Talk is a great tool to help you navigate the stresses of car rentals, checking in, even realizing you left your favorite outfit at home. Vacation stress can in no way outweigh the pleasures in store for you, so please remember to keep that in mind. Say it to yourself no matter how many times you see Murphy’s Law in action.

Maintain an optimistic stance by engaging in pleasurable activities like laughter at yourself and at the situations presented, etc. Whether you are on a sunny beach, or a lighthouse in Maine, look at the beauty that surrounds you and smile. The more you smile, the closer you are to laughter!

People often wonder, how can a vacation be stressful?

Once you arrive at your destination, it is expected that your stress will melt away. But you are in a new place, surrounded by new people and this coupled with your traveling can be very stressful.

You can remain optimistic by reminding yourself how good it feels to be away from the daily grind and how fortunate you feel to embark on new discoveries. By speaking these types positive words onto your travel activities, you will lighten your load significantly.

Laughter is a great tool.

It’s highly effective,

easy to apply

and absolutely free.

It’s very simple, but the hard part is remembering to use it when your flight might be delayed, or your hotel reservation is lost, etc; all situations which using the above mentioned service genius offers, comes in to instantly assist you in managing. So remember in those trying moments to look for ways to incorporate laughter therapy. Laugh at how lovely you feel to help let the stress go. Negative thinking may rear its ugly head, and it usually tries to, but simple laughter, relaxed breathing, and positive affirmations, will send negativity on its way.

Managing Stress of the Entire Vacation Experience: Once Returning

You’ve had a wonderful time. You’ve laughed, you’ve enjoyed yourself immensely but the vacation stress is back, but in a different form because now you have to do a reverse trip and go home. Unpacking, planning, even scheduling a meal can be stressful.

You’re looking forward to going home. Take a few deep breaths. You’ve had a wonderful relaxing time full of laughter and great memories! The negativity will take a back seat if you determine to let optimism and the positive thoughts from the great time you’ve had on your fabulous vacation prevail!

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Positive Affirmations: Would You Like A New Direction In Your Life?

Posted by author on August 10, 2011 4 comments

Positive Affirmations: Get The Life You Really Want For Yourself

“I am, therefore I exist,” is a phrase affirming your existence as a being. It may be a simple phrase, but it says everything about the being saying them. It indicates an inner self-confidence not commonly found and it opens the doorway to the power of positive thinking and your getting the life you really want for yourself.

But why do you need affirmation? Do beings need to be affirmed of their actual existence relative to their affirmation? Absolutely! Why?

What Positive Affirmations Do For You

Positive affirmations make use of a very powerful technique that empowers your subconscious mind. Once your subconscious mind is disciplined to believe your positive affirmation, it is then converted into a positive plan of action for the conscious mind. The two work together and in union.

This is how the power of positive thinking and positive affirmations begin to work on your behalf. The Huffington Post published an article by Erin Henry confirming this powerful transformation, entitled: Positive Affirmations Changed My Life!. She writes about how she was motivated by seeing the experience of someone else, and I found it to be very motivating to see this domino effect of positivity!

Through positive affirmations, you are empowered to do, to work, and to strive for greater things in the most natural way because it comes through your personal inner voice. Positive affirmations help you to believe in yourself and put your thoughts into powerful and effective action! It’s like training your subconscious mind to direct your conscious mind on auto-pilot, for any success on your road map in life!

Why The Technique Of Positive Affirmations Transforms

Positive affirmations are a combination of strong verbal and visual techniques that you can begin to learn and apply today. Strong affirmations are extremely useful, and can be used by practically anyone to achieve their goals and fulfill their desires. The effective power of an affirmation will depend on what is contained in the affirmation and how often you practice its usage in your daily routine.

Positive affirmations are simply assertions made by you, about something or about your state of being. You can affirm the things that you choose to attain, like “I have a good life” or “I love my life”. Being healthy in mind, body, and spirit can also be made possible through your consistent use of positive affirmations.

If you want to really make a strong and powerful affirmation, it is actually quite fundamental that it be not only stated in the present tense, but also with the correct choice of words. An affirmation of “I am a happy person” is much more effective than an affirmation saying, “I am going to become a happy person.” Going to implies the future, and the subconscious mind will not deliver to you today that which you have stated for tomorrow.

What you want is happiness today, then tomorrow, you will affirm again for that day. This is why consistency is key. Affirmations is a handy little card deck full of positive affirmations which really help in making this powerful practice an easy “go-to” solution to remember.

Those little cards are also easy to carry with you when traveling and they’re already packed with positive affirmations formatted in the correct way, so they’re easy to apply. With these cards, you’ll find that coming up with the right positive affirmations becomes a no brainer, and it’s a lot of fun discovering each one, too!

Also, many readers have really loved the information found in this book on how to let these therapeutic, easy to use resources make a big difference in your life. I loved this book too, so I strongly recommend it. I invite you to take a look to discover more and dive deeper into this incredible power and how you can use it to benefit your life because there is much more in store for you once you apply these simple techniques.

Tips On How To Use Positive Affirmations Successfully

Always make sure your positive affirmations are in positive terms. It is supposed to work for you, not against you. Instead of saying, “I am not sad,”, using negative words and negation, which could be a form of denial, try making an affirmation saying, “I choose to focus on my happiness”, which makes use of positive words and empowers your mind by reminding you that you are in charge to properly choose your thoughts.

Make your positive affirmations made around simple but concise words. They should be short phrases to be more effective. A very long affirmation can work the other way around, instead of creating a positive mindset, they can get you too caught up in trying to remember everything. Whereas a short affirmation is something you can easily remember and repeat anywhere, anytime. It can serve as a mantra that can be repeated over and over again.

Make Your Positive Affirmations Effective

In order to make your positive affirmations most effective, you need to repeat them as frequently as possible. Repetition works and influences the subconscious, which in turn motivates you into acting out your affirmation. Just as an athlete makes a lot of repetition to train the muscles of his or her body to perform, likewise, it’s helpful for you to train the muscle of your brain to perform this most vital action.

It’s important that you feel deeply involved with the words you use, so that you can effectively actualize your positive affirmation into positive action. Writing words that you believe in can be very powerful, and this can be put to good use when creating your affirmation. You can get more tips on the effectiveness of writing in this article Stress Management Solutions, where you can find the benefits of journaling your experiences.

However, creating positive affirmations and repeating them on a daily basis is not all it takes to make the affirmation a state of mind. You’ll want to align your actions to reflect your positive affirmations. A great help for you will be to remember to live your positive affirmations by letting the positive words give you a better outlook towards life. Affirmations is a good tool to try!

I use these cards as a great way to start the day by reading a new card every morning with breakfast. They will help if you can stay open-minded to make the positive changes that will help your positive affirmations become your reality. Feeling your affirmations and applying them in your life are the keys to making your affirmation a reality.

Positive affirmations are a very simple thing that can make a very big difference in your life today. Affirmations can be your greatest motivator and give you enormous help in changing your life for the better!

We will cover more on this important topic, so remember to check back for the latest news!
(I have a real life “case study” on this concluding shortly…., until then, make sure to read the flip side: Positive Affirmations Won’t Work For You Unless…. to really understand vital information you need to know about this powerful tool!)

In keeping with this article’s title on Getting The Life You Really Want For Yourself, take action by clicking on the banner below and attending this powerful weekend conference! Your life will dramatically change for the better!

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Stress Symptoms: Understanding the Facts About Stress and Stress Relief

Posted by author on August 10, 2011 No comment

Understanding Stress:
The Facts and What You Can Do

Stress is our body’s way of responding to any kind of the demand. It can be caused by both good and bad experiences. In discovering how to manage stress effectively, it’s important for you to know what to look for in any type of stressful issue in your life so that you can take the right steps to prevent the negative results of stress.

When you feel stressed by something going on around you, your body reacts by releasing chemicals into your bloodstream. Eating foods containing “the anti-stress vitamin” can surely help to keep your body balanced. The chemicals your body releases when stressed can give you more energy and strength, which can be a good thing if your stress is caused by physical danger.

But it can also be a bad thing if your stress is in response to something emotional and you haven’t planned a positive outlet for this extra energy or strength. This is why it’s so important to address your stress levels, understand which stress symptoms are most prevalent, and set a positive plan of action into motion so that you can effectively reduce stress and live a better quality of life.

Stress Responses: What Happens When You’re Stressed?

Stress can change your good judgement and make you feel overwhelmed. Emotional and behavioral symptoms can accompany excess stress levels and many are included below. This is a good list of stress symptoms that you’ll want to be aware of. To understand the facts about stress, you need to know what to look for.

At the same time, it’s important for you to know that if you find yourself experiencing any of the stress symptoms on the lists below, you can reverse these stressful effects. These stress symptoms might be present in your life today, but it doesn’t have to stay that way tomorrow.

For example, 8 solutions for stress relief is a great way to find some plan of action that suits you find comfortable. You can also gain a lot of insight from looking into the words that surround your life through checking out 4 tips on how to manage stress plus 8 benefits.

What’s most important is that you make a decision to become more aware of the stress levels in your life. Studies have proven that if you simply make the decision to reduce the amount of stress levels in your life, that decision will help you in discovering how to manage stress more effectively.

How Stress Affects Us:

How to manage stress when you feel overwhelmed

Stress can change your good judgement and make you feel overwhelmed, but there are many effective solutions available.

Stress affects your mind, body and soul. People under large amount of stress can become tired, sick and unable to concentrate on work. Sometimes, they even suffer the mental breakdowns simply because of stress.

Types of Stress Symptoms:

There are basically two types of stress symptoms to look out for:

1. Short term stress symptoms
2. Long term stress symptoms

Stress Symptoms: The Physical and Mental Signs of Stress:

Short term stress symptoms: These occur like ‘quick bursts’ that are in reaction to something in your environment. These bursts usually don’t last for very long, but they can seriously deter your balance and undermine your self-confidence in the moment they happen. It’s important to look for these types of stress symptoms so that you can be more aware of the new directions and the new habits that you want to see unfold in your life.
Long term stress symptoms: These occur over a long duration of time and are most often the effects of short term stress symptoms which were not effectively addressed and resolved. Look at the list below and if you find yourself suffering from any of these stress symptoms, start getting some help in changing those habits today.

Physical Signs of Short Term Stress Symptoms:

Your heartbeat and breathing get faster
You feel more sweating, perspiration
You get cold hands, feet or skin
You feel sick to your stomach or the ‘butterflies’
You get tightening in your muscles or feel tense
Your mouth feels dry
You have to go to the bathroom frequently
You feel increasing muscle spasms, headaches, fatigue or shortness of breath

Mental Signs of Short Term Stress Symptoms:

Interference with your judgment, when you to make rash decisions
When you see difficult situations as threatening, instead of temporary
Reduced enjoyment of simple activities, feeling badly, even about the good things you already have
When you have difficulty concentrating or dealing with distraction
Having the state of mind of being anxious, frustrated or angry, when you’re unwilling to discuss problems with others
When you feel rejected, unable to laugh, afraid of free time yet unable to work

Physical Signs of Long Term Stress Symptoms:

Any Change in your appetite: little to no appetite or even an insatiable appetite
When you notice your sleeping habits have changed
If you get increased ‘nervous’ behaviors such as twitching, fiddling, talking too much, nail biting, teeth grinding and other repetitive habits
If you find more difficulties with feeling good such as: more asthma, headaches, stomach problems, skin problems, and other aches and pains
When you see a change in your sex life, pleasure and performance
If you feel constantly tired and worn out

Mental Signs of Long Term Stress Symptoms:

You find yourself worrying and feeling anxious on a regular basis
You feel out of control, overwhelmed, confused and unable to make decisions
You experience mood changes such as depression, frustration, anger, helplessness, irritability, defensiveness, irrationality, overreaction or impatience and restlessness
You have an increased dependence on food, cigarettes, alcohol or drugs
You neglect important things in life such as work, school and even your personal appearance
You develop irrational fears of things such as physical illness, natural disasters like thunderstorms and earthquakes, you might even feel terrified of ordinary situations like heights or small spaces

Spiritual Benefits for Relief from Stress Symptoms:

You feel a new sense of purpose inside
You gain valuable inner peace during difficult times
You can share the burden of tough times with something greater than yourself
Your sharing of spiritual expressions helps build your relationships with others
You can heal from illness or addiction faster and more effectively

You can gain stress relief with the right techniques

By reducing stress, you promote greater cooperation and joy in your relationships. Stress relief gives you mental peace. Laughter therapy is a great method to help you regain mental balance and physical relief from stress. It can also help if you integrate spiritual principles into your daily life.
You can gain stress relief with the right techniques. Here at Laughs Heal, we’ll continue to show you how to manage stress effectively with best proven methods!

Here’s to your successful stress management!

Get more tools to help you manage stress more effectively here: Tools To Get From Stress To Laughter!

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8 Stress Relief Solutions You Can Apply Today

Posted by author on August 9, 2011 5 comments

8 Easy Forms of Effective Stress Management

How To Manage Stress With Healthy Alternatives

Therapy in its broadest sense, is a term that can be applied to any form of treatment for any illness or disorder and today is commonly used to relieve stress. For example, antacid is a form of therapy for heartburn and recovery is a form of therapy for addiction. As it relates to mental health and mental disorders, therapy can also used to improve your physical aspects. The simplest meaning for therapy is:

The Art of Improving the Quality of Your Life.

Types of Healthy, Fun Therapy:

Alternative therapy is classified into many types. Some well proven forms have been around for many years, however, but there are many new forms which have proven to be just as effective. Some have been grounded in research, others in theory and some rely on anecdotal evidence.

Here are 8 Forms of Alternative Therapy To Help You To Manage Stress Effectively:

Laughter Therapy

We were born with the gift of laughter. Laughter is a natural medicine. It is a contagious emotion. It can bring people together. Laughter therapy is also known as humor therapy and it greatly increases our optimism and positive outlook on life.
The physical and mental effects of laughter therapy are given below:

Mental Benefits:

*Laughter therapy will help you to improve the quality of your life.
It provides pain relief, encourages relaxation, reduces stress and relieves emotional pain.

*It can also improve your overall attitude, your capacity to maintain positive thoughts and sleep better.

Physical Benefits:

*Laughter therapy stimulates your circulatory system, your immune system and good hormones in your body. Many treatment centers offer laughter therapy in addition to standard treatment.

*The physical effects of laughter on your body include increased breathing, increased oxygen, short-term changes in hormones and certain neurotransmitters.

Music Therapy:

Music therapy is technique of complementary medicine that issues music prescribed in a skilled manner by trained therapists. Programs are designed to help patients overcome physical, emotional intellectual and social challenges.

Mental Benefits:

*The “Mozart effect” was coined after a study showed that college students performed better on match problems when they had previously listened to classical music.

*Better productivity is another benefit you get from this improved ability to concentrate.

Physical Benefits:

*Your heart rate and blood pressure are responsive to the types of music that you listened to. The speed of your heartbeat speeds or slows depending on the volume and speed of the auditory stimulus.

*Music therapy can also relieve muscle tension and improve your motor skills. It is often used to help rebuild physical patterning skills in rehabilitation clinics.
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Journal Therapy:

Journal therapy is the act of writing down thoughts and feelings to sort through problems and come to deeper understandings of oneself or the issues in one’s life. Unlike traditional diary writing, where daily events and happenings are recorded from an exterior point of view, journal therapy focuses on the writer’s internal experiences, reactions and perceptions.

Mental Benefits:

*It’s a positive release from sadness and sorrow, grief and loss.

*It’s been proven highly effective in recovery from addiction.

Physical Benefits:

*Increases your communication skills and helps you to maintain a healthier self-esteem.

*Gives you a better perspective on your life and on clarifying life goals.

Pet Therapy:

Animal therapy is when an animal is trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, people with learning difficulties, and stressful situations, such as disaster areas. The animal therapy is also effective for helping regular everyday people overcome day to day stress, otherwise known as pet therapy.

Mental benefits:

*Pets make great diversion from hectic and demanding livestyles.

*Animal assisted therapy has also done much for debilitating mental illness such as dementia and Alzheimers.

Physical benefits:

*Patients undergoing trauma rehabilitation, recover more quickly and thrive longer when there is a pet involved in their recovery.

*Children who grew up with pets tend to be healthier and prove to have reduced risks to some allergies as well as fewer breathing problems.

Aromatherapy:

The meaning of aromatherapy extends to the practice of using a plant’s volatile essential oils to treat body, mind and spirit. Aroma therapists believe that aromatherapy assists healing through olfactory pathways, as well as through physical and mental applications. By smell aroma therapy will actually change our mood.

Mental benefits:

*It calms your mind calm and enhances your serenity.

*It helps reduce nervous tension.

Physical benefits:

*Aroma therapy can heal wounds and improve your skin tone, such as demonstrated with essential oils.

*It also relieves tension, decreases congestion and cures fungal and bacterial infections.

Useful facts about how you can use aromatherapy to relive stress can be found in our blog posts.
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Eco Therapy:

Eco therapy brings the natural world to psychological healing and growth. For many, eco therapy refers to any ways nature can be used to promote mental and emotional health, including using nature as a resource in psychotherapy.

Mental benefits:

*It revitalizes your mental energies, positive thoughts and reduces stress.

*90% of people who took part in Mind Green Exercise activities to reduce tension and create more optimism experienced remarkable success rates.

Physical benefits:

*Eco therapy provides the natural way to healing your mind, body and soul and it helps you rediscover your positive outlook on life.

*It keeps your breathing heart rate healthy.

Holistic Therapy:

Holistic therapy is a generic term used to describe therapies which, instead of treating only the symptom as in orthodox medicine treat, the person as a whole. They are taken into consideration when assessing a person’s overall health.

Mental benefits:

*Holistic therapy is excellent for stress relief which is believed to be one of the major causes of disease and illness worldwide today.

*It helps you to make the right decisions and keeps toxins.

Physical benefits:

*These types of therapies can be used to heal medical problems but they’re also a very powerful form of preventative medicine as well, using only natural ingredients and healing methods, with no toxic side effects on the body. For a holistic approach to food, try: Have your cake & eat it too! 100 indulgent calories by Vitalicious. Learn more!

*Holistic therapy is also excellent for controlling pain relief, and has done so for many people on a daily basis.
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Retail Therapy:

Retail therapy is shopping with the primary purpose of improving the buyer’s mood or disposition. Often seen in people during periods of depression or transition, it is normally a short-lived habit. Items purchased during periods of retail therapy are sometimes referred to as “comfort buys”.

Mental benefits:

*While shopping, you’re more focused on finding a particular item instead of worrying about stress related things.

*Shopping relaxes your mind and gives you feelings of being carefree.

Physical benefits:

*It makes you feel like we are worth it!

*Pampering yourself heightens your spirits.

Each year, millions of people seek therapy and receive real help for just as vast a number of problems and issues. Therapy can address a wide range of concerns such as depression, relationship crisis, parenting problems, career issues, emotional stress, substance abuse, significant loss and clinical disorders and other conditions.

You can also look to therapy for relief from stress and for life enhancing help in fulfilling aspirations for personal growth or self-improvement.

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How To Manage Stress: Conflict Management: 10 Secrets

Posted by author on August 9, 2011 No comment

How To Manage Stress: Conflict Management: 10 Secrets

We all get into conflicts at one time or another and if we’ve got either stressful work, stressful social environments or stressful situations to deal with on a regular basis, it’s good to know how to exercise good conflict management. At first, we may think this is only possible by having a certain amount of control over others, but it’s really got more to do with managing stress levels in ourselves and using positive words as well as a positive outlook on life, as both tension prevention and conflict management measures.

Conflicts arise when there are opposing elements, situations and/or concerns between people. A good thing to remember is that one of the reasons conflicts occur has a lot to do with the dread of long term, undesirable circumstances. Misunderstandings and/or inadequate communication also lead to conflict.

Conflict management: Training yourself to handle eruptions of tension by employing these 10 secrets:

1. When you hear someone getting upset, stay calm and assume that there is a misunderstanding. By assuming there is a misunderstand instead of jumping to conclusions and assuming the worst, you will leave room for better understanding and greater communication.

2. Listen carefully to what the other person or other people are saying. This can go a long way to ease conflicts, especially because many times, instead of listening, we find ourselves already preparing what it is we want them to know.

3. If you’re upset at a situation, yourself or at an individual(s) you need to immediately remind yourself that you just need to take one step at a time to deal with the “problem” and if possible, also remind yourself that the “problem” most likely will not last forever. Use positive self-talk and tell yourself that “this too, shall pass.

4. Try to help the disturbed person or people understand the situation on their level, not yours.

5. Try to consider ways of ‘buying’ time or making practical compromises to appeal to the needs and requests of the upset individual(s)

Further, conflict management has to do with the prevention of rising tension, good tension preventative measures include:

6. Trying at all times to keep your voice volume level low or at least lower than the person or people that are upset.

7. If you are the one who is upset, then to keep from being the one who raises the volume levels first. Try speaking with graceful, flowing motions of your hands. Notice how famous presenters and television personalities use their hands when speaking, and mimic these gestures….they work!

8. Whether you’re on the giving or receiving end of the conflict you should never resort to name calling, or bad language. This creates added negative emotions and you should look for positive words instead. There’s a reason the statement “kill them with kindness” has been taught for ages.

9. You don’t need to exaggerate the faults and/or use offensive sarcasm. If you can add some humor to the situation, that will greatly break the ice of tension, but sarcasm tends to put others on edge when there is already tension in the air, so in these situations, sarcasm can have the opposite effect of being funny.

10. Smile! This will disarm anyone, especially if the heat is rising. The best offense is a strong defense and your smile is a great defender to pave the way for peace!

Getting along with co-workers is possible with good conflict management skills.

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You should always try to use a positive outlook to develop better ways to handle conflicts. How would we like the situation to look? Creative visualization will help you. At times, you can share this creative visualization with those in a conflict because many times, just the suggestion of good will can lead to less tension and facilitate greater communication and understanding for you and others. Using positive words, without seeming too patronizing, can also aid you in the sharing of your ideas
Before and whenever you see a conflict arising, it’s also good if you use creative visualization to think of ways to exercise regular steps in managing stress. To do this, you need to ask the following questions:

—What is the typical cause of my stress?

—Which things act as causes of overall stress surrounding my situations as well as the stresses directly causing the conflicts?

—Are there ways to decrease or eliminate these stressful factors?

—If not is there a way the stressed individual(s) can be compensated either before, during and /or after the stress and conflict has arisen?

Taking these types of steps when dealing with conflict management means learning to resolve difficult situations much more easily.

You can learn how to manage stress and better deal with conflict management by working with these ideas and implementing them in your life.

Here’s to your conflict management and stress management success!

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Aromatherapy Candles: A New Discovery To Enhance Your Positive Thinking Skills!

Posted by admin on August 9, 2011 24 comments

Light Up Your Positive Thinking Power With Aromatherapy Candles!

Of all the aromatherapy products available in the market today, aromatherapy candles are the most popular ones. Available in hundreds of scents, sizes, designs, shapes, colors, and textures, aromatherapy candles are preferred by most people because they are convenient and safer to use.

In fact, by using aromatherapy candles, an ordinary room can turn into a more cozy and inviting place where one can relax. Aside from turning an ordinary setting to an extraordinary one, scented candles can also evoke various memories from the past while transporting you into a place where you can fiend serenity and tranquility.

Unlike the usual candles, aromatherapy candles are known to release small but continuous stream of herbal and floral essences as they burn into the air. As the natural chemicals and essential oils contained in each candle enter your body through breathing, the therapeutic properties of the oil steadily travel in your bloodstream to stimulate your brain.

Compared to the direct use of aromatherapy essential oils through a massage, subtle benefits can only be achieved by lighting an aromatherapy candle. But, the diffusing essential oil in scented candles can aid greatly in the alteration, enhancement, and improvement of one’s state of mind. Aside from veering you away from the toxicities of your environment, burning aromatherapy candles can also give your space a touch of nature as it enlivens and clean the air in your abode.

THE POWER OF SCENT TO PUT YOU IN A GOOD MOOD!

Unlike other aromatherapy products that require accessories, aromatherapy candles are simpler to use. All you need is a pack of your chosen scent and a match or lighter to unleash powerful and soothing scents that enhances mood, uplifts spirits while relieving tensions. Aside from lighting up the aromatherapy candle, there are various wats to enjoy it. Here are some:

1. To enjoy the best aromatherapy candle, make sure that you buy items that contain “aromatherapy candle” label not just a “scented candle” label. This is an important distinction and can assure you that you will enjoy the benefits of pure essential oils as the candles burn into the air. They should look something like this: (click on the pictures below for more details)

2. Make sure that you select the right candle for the appropriate situation. Know what your purposes are and your desired effects in using a specific aromatherapy candle.

If you wish to invigorate, treat yourself by lighting an invigorating aromatherapy candle that contain mixture of oils from the citrus and mint families such as peppermint, spearmint, basil, eucalyptus, or cedar, rosemary, cinnamon, geranium, cassia, and vanilla to stimulate and revitalize your senses quickly.

If you want to relax, opt for a relaxing aromatherapy candle that contains pure essential oils from lavender, chamomile, patchouli, geranium, and rose that can help you release stress. If you’re creativity is being altered and you’re experiencing mental block, light up a aromatherapy candles that can help you concentrate such as those that contain citrus essential oils like lemon, orange, grapefruit, lemongrass, and bergamot.

And if you want to add atmosphere to your space, opt for aromatherapy candles that contains sensual essential oils like ylang ylang, vanilla, neroli, rose, clary sage, and sandalwood. Another good choice, you can find here:

3. Make sure that you light up aromatherapy candles that can complement each other. Avoid burning candles that compete with the fragrance of other candles because the combination of these can produce a heavy scent that can cause you headache.

4. Make it a routine to light up aromatherapy candles so your body can get used to the therapeutic benefits of various essential oils.

5. In order to enjoy the maximum benefit of an aromatherapy candle, make sure that you choose the candle that is appropriate for your need and desired effect. Thank goodness there are many to choose from in this specific area! You might like some of these:

Whichever your choices, know that these specific types of candles, enhanced with essential oils are there to help you alleviate the everyday stress and enhance your positive thinking skills. Just by taking the time to light a candle while brewing a good cup of tea, is already a way to relax and bring the bring the quieting effects of a peaceful life upon you. It’s making the time to implement these “small treasures” that is important. Once you start with this, it will be much easier to allow the positive thoughts to flow.
Let us know if you try these techniques and how you like them. We will be offering many more, so be sure to check back with us!

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How To Manage Stress With Aromatherapy: 4 Guidelines and 6 Tips

Posted by admin on August 9, 2011 19 comments

Information All Aromatherapy-Enthusiasts Need To Know:

With all of the new age activities on the rise, interests in aromatherapy are building up once again! It’s one of the best, most refreshing and pleasing ways to discover how to manage stress effectively! Judging from the spa houses and massage centers that have been opening up in every city, the use of plant extracts and scents for relaxation and stress relief is quickly gaining a huge fan base!

But before you plunge in on aromatherapy, make sure that you know some important points about aromatherapy. I’d like to share with you some of the finer points I’ve learned in my journey into this all-natural method of stress management.
Below are some of the most important things that I feel you should take into heart. Read on and you might learn something that might help you or something new about aromatherapy that you didn’t know before.

Perfume oils are not the same as essential oils

For those of you who are buying these oils for the first time, make sure that what you are buying is right for you. What makes an essential oil different from a perfume oil is the fact that it has therapeutic benefits and not just aromatic benefits. This means that an essential oil will not only serve as fragrance in your home and office, but it also has the power to relax you and release negative energies from your system.

Rubber no-no

Never ever buy essential oils that are being used with rubber dropper tops. This is because the rubber has some properties that can ruin the oil. The extreme concentration of the oils can turn the rubber into a gum.

Read about it

It is not enough that you ask for people that are selling the oils. You’ll never really know if what they are telling you are truths that can help you with your quest to discover how to manage stress will these all natural methods. The best way to learn about aromatherapy is to read about the topic. This way, you are being given an objective view about aromatherapy and some of the products that you’ll be buying. In choosing a service or a product it is also a good idea to look for those with good reviews from newspapers and magazines.

Another topic that you should read on about is the safety of therapy. Actually, it is a required reading before you start on the therapy. There are also books and websites that are devoted solely to the safety processes of aromatherapy.

Choose your store with care

Although new stores may also offer quality products, if you are not familiar with aromatherapy yet, it is good to stick with the brands that are already established. Remember that aromatherapy has safety issues that you should also take heed. After which, when you know enough about the business and the products, you can switch to less established ones but with good reviews.

Also, avoid buying essential oils in street fairs and bazaars or from any company that does not have a permanent working address. This is not to say that products in events like this do not have quality; it is just a warning just in case you buy something that you need to return.

Learn comparison

Learn the art of shopping for oils and scents. You want oils that will help you explore how to manage stress in natural ways, but that are not too strong. It is good to know what scent goes to what essential oils. You should also learn to compare scents. It also helps if you are familiar with some of the most common essential oils in the market. That way, it will be easier for you to buy what you really want.

When you decide to use essential oils to help your mood, stress, or physical illness it might be difficult to decide from the many available products the one that is right for you. Essential oils come in a variety of scents and fragrances and the different extracts act on different components. Some help your mental fatigue, others relieve stress, and others can be used as topical creams that help you alleviate scars or acne.

An important thing to consider when choosing an essential oil is to inhale the fragrance. Make sure to be familiar with the fragrance before you make your purchase. When testing the scent, make sure to keep it a few inches away if it is not diluted. Essential oils that are not diluted can give you a headache.

Important Tips For You:

When testing scents, make sure to take a break from the testing. Do not continually inhale too many fragrances or they will ultimately cause you to get dizzy or give you a headache. You also may not be able to distinguish between the scents after saturating your senses.
Avoid buying essential oils that do not have a variety of prices. You might ask why this is important. Some essential oils are rare and expensive. If a company is selling essential oils at a consistent price, the chances are that the more expensive oils are not authentic. They may also have been distilled with cheaper methods that leave some of the by-products in the packaging.
If you are sensitive to oily solvents, then avoid using essential oils that are diluted with vegetable oil. Although this is a recommended way to dilute the extracts, it leaves an oily residue behind. To test if an essential oil has been diluted this way, place a tiny drop on a piece of paper. If it leaves behind a residue as the drop slides off the paper then it has likely been diluted with vegetable oil.
When shopping for bottles, use manufacturers that list the Latin name on the bottle. This leaves no confusion on the actual extract that is contained in the bottle. Some extracts are closely related to the common names that we know, so they are falsely advertised as the real thing. Also take note of the country. Some essential oils come from exotic places such as Africa while others are native to France. This will give you an idea if it is authentic as well.
The best essential oils are pure. Some companies sell synthetic essential oils which can be dangerous. The synthetic oils do not contain the therapeutic effects that pure essential oils contain. Also, the synthetic oils can cause allergies or painful headaches.
Choose pure essential oils over synthetic essential oils. Aromatherapy experts prefer pure oils.

Important Fact To Remember:

Containers used to keep essential oils should be dark colored or navy blue. Clear bottles allow sunlight to enter the oils. This can spoil the extracts more quickly. Make sure to keep extracts out of sunlight and in a dry, cool place.

If you keep these tips in mind when choosing the right aromatheray for yourself and your loved ones, you will surely make the best possible choices to enhance your lives with more positive power! These are the best ways to practice the art of knowing how to manage stress in an all-natural way!

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Tips To Manage Stress Online

Posted by author on August 9, 2011 No comment

Tips To Manage Stress Online

It’s become so popular and so taken for granted that you can hardly imagine your life without it.

From the minute you wake up, arrive at your workplace, technology, particularly the internet, encompasses your daily life. You love it, or maybe you hate it, but you depend on it, and can’t survive a day without it.

It is no wonder that online PC/ Mac stress is such a common malady that plagues our society today! More and more people are getting online these days so searching for someone who does NOT include technology in their life is like looking for a needle in a haystack!

Today it’s more common to “chat” with an absolute stranger who lives on a differnt continent every single day, yet go weeks without even saying “hi” to your next door neighbor, in person. Just the other day, I even found myself entering a password on my microwave oven, for crying out loud!

Managing Stress Online: Important For Kids and Adults

How to manage stress from technology image

Everyone marches to the tune that technology has given us and this means that online stress must be addressed.

Today’s young people are becoming increasingly computer literate at younger ages than ever before. They thrive on social networking, watching videos, chatting, online games and even research for homework assignments.

There is a strong possibility that classroom learning will eventually become extinct, replaced by man-made technological systems. We have to practically fight with our kids to get them away from the computer. A child who sits before a monitor can be engaged and intrigued by his or her activity for hours!

The ultimate punishment to a kid nowadays is no longer just depriving them of dessert or outside playtime. The most horrendous punishment imaginable today is banning kids from using the computer. Yet, if you imagine the benefits your children can obtain by spending those hours in front of a screen with positive words and positive affirmations, then you can see to it that your children gain more benefits from their time spent in front of computers.

Tips for Stress from Technology

As reasonable adults, can we even fathom going a single day without sending or receiving a text message or email, whether the intention is for work or leisure? Well, if you find yourself emailing your colleague in the cubicle next to yours to ask if they’re ready to go to lunch, it might be kind of difficult to imagine even a day without modern technology.

God forbid that your computer breaks down, contract a much dreaded virus or malfunction in some other way that you are ill-equipped to remedy. It is a scenario that has the power to ruin your entire day, although I have heard a few colleagues say “my computer doesn’t get bugs, it just gets random features on occasion”.

It’s been said that artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity, and when computers break down, it’s not so easy not to feel stupid, especially if you have a tempermental computer, like mine. Every single problem it has mysteriously vanishes just as soon as the repair person arrives right outside the door. (yes, payment for exery outgoing call for assistance, is expected.)

Not only could your work suffer, but your peace of mind can be momentarily destroyed as well. You can feel agitated as you anxiously await the moment that your beloved technology is restored. PC/ Mac stress is inevitable for most of us, even the anxiety resulting from a disruption in our service.

It's not easy to stay stress free if your computer breaks in the middle of a busy day.

As an age that is literally dependent on technology and the internet, it’s a good idea to remind yourself to take breaks from using your electronic devices for just work and sending and receiving personal email.

How about treating yourself to an uplifting, inspiring site from which you can extract positive words to memorize to alleviate daily stress? There are websites like this one on which you can find encouraging quotes uttered by individuals from Shakespeare to Norman Vincent Peale.

Never underestimate the power of not only positive thinking, but also positive words and affirmation! And if it’s paperwork on your PC or Mac that’s stressful, by all means, get the assistance you need: Have a Mac? QuickBooks Comes Built for Mac OS – Looks & Works as Expected. Easy to Learn & Use. Buy Now and Save 20% + Free Shipping.

Despite the stress from hours spent online, you can decide to be uplifted and empowered online.

The Value of Technology

Technology has HUGE entertainment value – that is one of its most irresistible features. If you can log onto a comic video site after an otherwise mundane work day, you will reap the benefits of laughter without ever leaving your comfort zones.

Psychologists have tried for years to educate us on the benefits of laughter. Technology makes these benefits readily accessible, including humor. So why not take advantage of this benefit today? Give yourself a 5 minute break to watch your favorite stand-up comedian.

Despite our deep, abiding adoration for our Macs and PCs, technology brings its own set of stressors. On any given day, you might accidentally delete or lose important files, or suffer the injustice of having them corrupted. I’ve been through that, and know few people who haven’t.

You might feel the excruciating pain of carpal tunnel syndrome. Our backs, shoulders and eyesight may suffer from prolonged hours seated before a monitor. Why not use the same vehicle to assist you in managing stress?

We can choose to let technology help us laugh with distant friends while viewing the same video.

The solution may be to get medical attention in some cases; but if you take frequent breaks and fill your mind with positive affirmations, you are bound to get those benefits and feel a lot better.

It is not unusual to see post-its with positive affirmations stuck to a computer monitor, especially in the workplace. You can even load cherished, inspirational quotes and positive affirmations onto your screen-saver.

This insures that they are the first words you see whenever you log on, so that will set a good tone for whatever you do once you’re logged in.

Technology is here to stay. As such, we might as well work on new ways to use it in positive, life-enhancing ways.
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What Is The Definition Of Stress?

Posted by author on July 20, 2011 4 comments

What Is Stress:

What is the definition of stress, many people ask. Many people define stress in many ways.

Basically, stress is: being out of harmony with oneself and the world around us.

To effectively manage stress, it is important to be cognizant of the causes of stress and to understand that good health and stress management strategies are important issues to address in order to gain and maintain a high quality of life. One of the biggest, if not the biggest cause of stress in our society today is financial pressure. When the bills just keep stacking up and there is not enough money coming in, one cannot help but fret over how to make ends meet. This is also the leading cause of fighting amongst couples.

At the same time, there are people in countries that live on very, very little and yet, they have a high quality of life in that they are happy and satisfied with the life they have. Money cannot buy happiness, yet the devil’s advocate would say “it sure makes misery a lot more comfortable”! However,, even financial stress can be measured and improved.

Another major stress inducer is on-the-job or work related stress. This could come in many forms; not getting along with our boss, excessive work hours, not enough work hours, tension amongst co-workers, and probably the biggest of them all, fear of being terminated. Stress management in business situations is necessary for all people who are in the work force; so along with work skills, in today’s business world, it’s a good idea to take your stress management skills.

Strained relationships are also high on the list. This can be with our significant other, a sibling, a parent, our children. These are especially hurtful types of stress because they involve people that we love the most.

Health and Stress Management

And we certainly cannot forget the stress that health-related issues can cause. When a person learns that they are suffering an illness or disease, no matter how major or minor, this can definitely be a huge concern, which can cause stress. Especially if it is something beyond their control. In other words, something we can’t exercise or diet or modify our way out of is extremely challenging. Our self-esteem will usually decrease significantly and this can leave us full of negativity. This form of stress, along with financial stress, are the two main forms of stress that cause insomnia, a great problem in our society today.

Now that we have delved into some of the types of stress, let’s look at some possible solutions. Professionals trained in this field will usually advise things like a healthy diet, yoga, meditation, physical exercise, and other forms of relaxation techniques. There are even devices called stress balls that are used to relieve tension in the hands. Studies have proven that when we are able to relieve tension in our hands, this leads to relief throughout the body. In fact, these types of antique practices have been used for centuries, although you can find a modern version of cinese stress balls easily online today:

The same goes for reflexology in relieving the stress and tension from your body through the nerve endings in your feet.

: Refelxology is not only good for our feet, it’s good for the whole body!

This feels good not only in your feet, but also throughout your entire body. Reading a motivational or inspirational story can be a good stress-reliever, as will give you hope, just as listening to motivational audio books are great choices too. These things work wonders when done on a regular basis.

Learning to be very careful with your time management is paramount to stress relief, as well. Finding ways to make time for your family, for exercise, and most of all for yourself is key to coping with stress.

All in all though, the two most important things you can do to help kick stress to the curb, and begin to activate your coping strategies are:

1. Restore your self-esteem (see how laughter therapy and self-esteem are correlated here)

2. Eliminate negativity (take a look at how much positive self-talk can do for you here)

You might find it helpful to seek help in order to accomplish these goals, but they are fully attainable goals. The good care of your health and your stress management strategies should go hand in hand because these are essential elements for your overall sense of satisfaction and happiness in life. Throughout this website, we will continue to explore the most effective forms of help that are available. Remember that you are always making decisions on how to deal with the issue of stress, though you might be deciding mostly by default. Now is the time to deliberately and consciously become willing to take active steps to relieve stress.

When we learn to effectively relieve stress, we lead happier, more fulfilling lives.

Here are some books from which people all over the world have gained alot of strength for managing stress:

Here are some products that are specially formulated to relieve stress:

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How To Cope With The Stress Of Moving To A New Home

Posted by author on May 14, 2012 5 comments

How To Cope With The Stress Of

Moving To A New Home

Let’s face it; moving always has been and always will be a rather stress provoking event. Yet, it can also mark the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in your life. Nonetheless, there are many details to look after and tons of organizational matters that need attention so that you can easily cope with the stress of moving to a new home.

There are many ways that you can make moving a much less stressful event. Most experts will agree that planning is essential. Even if you have the most efficient moving company in the world assisting you, the better you plan, the more seamless your change into your new home will be.

Here are some tips I’ve learned along the way:

Reduce Your Mental Stress About Moving

Starting with the right mental attitude is crucial to managing stress around the process of moving into your new home. This is the time to beef up your positive self-talk program with words like “I get so much out of clearing away all unnecessary items because this way, I can move into my new home with the true essentials of what I actually utilize”.

Speaking to your inner self with positive words does enormous good in terms of boosting your vitality, enthusiasm and coping strategies.

Organize Your Moving Strategy

I’m currently in the process of moving into a new home myself, and one thing I find greatly helpful is the old fashioned pen and paper. By writing things out, you get a much more clear idea of what you have and how you want to organize. This is a good time to go through all of your warranties and appliances that you might have had for years.

Be sure to include all of your “to-do” lists so that you have a checklist of everything in that one notebook binder. This is handy and convenient for keeping track of everything that is necessary for your move. Then once you have gone through everything, you can place your final draft of precisely what will and will not go with you, onto your hard drive of your pc or mac.

De Clutter To Reduce Moving Stress

While going through all of your warranties and appliances, you might find yourself with versions of products which are a bit outdated. I know I sure did! It’s great when you purchase something that has stood the test of time and even without being under warranty, still works like a charm, but will it work for you in your new home?

When de cluttering, remember that you can also utilize this moment to update whichever new versions are available on the market. By planning your move with ample time, you can shop around to update and renew certain items so that with your fresh start in your new home, you have the most energy efficient items.
I found a lot of helpful information on energy efficient items which weren’t even on the market the last time I moved, when I checked this link: Energy Star Qualified Products.

These are just a few tips that I found helpful for reducing stress concerning moving into a new home. When looking at this big change as an opportunity to clear out the clutter, modernize your appliances and obtain a new and concise inventory of what you essential use, your perspective on your moving process can take on a whole new vision.

I hope you’ve found this helpful and I’m interested to know what difficulties you’ve encountered when moving. Please share your ideas in the comments section, thanks!

Do you know someone this could help? Don’t forget to share this with them.

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Personal Development Plan: Your Best Season Ever!

Posted by author on May 2, 2012 2 comments

Making a Personal Development Plan

How does a personal development plan help you with stress management?

A personal development plan is a structured approach so that you can improve yourself. It is a tool to view what you can do to develop any aspect of yourself.

In the case of stress management, an effective personal development plan gives you the potential and the power to manage stress more successfully, which results in a higher quality of life for you.
I was determined to make such personal development plan so that I could learn how to manage my own stress more effectively, as well. I discovered that if you don’t learn how to manage stress successfully, then stress will manage you! I read up on things like How To Understand Stress Symptoms and found that even in my childhood, I had always been dealing with stress….although not always in the most effective manner.

I’ve seen what it’s like when stress from work, family and personal relationships get the best of me, so I knew I had to figure out a concrete way to manage stress before stress defeated me. If you can relate to what I’m talking about, then read on, because there is definitely a better way of life!

Personal Development Plan: The Initial Stages

Before coming up with the actual plan, I had to make up a list of the possible things that stressed me most. You might find this helpful because many times, we don’t tend to give these types of things much thought, given the fact that we consider them stressful. But just remember that putting it on paper gets it out of your system. Any stressful situation you put on paper does not, I repeat, does not have any power to hurt you.

This is actually the beginning of the healing process within your personal development plan.

I began with an incredibly long list, then decided to shorten it so that I could gain more clarity. At the end, I came up with the major categories, like work related stress, health stress, stress due to aging and financial stress. As I began to polish my list, I slowly began to realize that some of the “stressors” were very trivial and that things like lowering my cholesterol or getting along with colleagues, were things I could do a lot to change.

I finished my first list and read over again until everything made sense.
I made a copy of my first list and placed it on my refrigerator door where most of my lists were and another copy, which I saved on my hard drive. I would read it every day and add anything that I might have left out.

Pretty soon my list was complete and it was time to make my final draft.

Personal Development Plan: The Final Stages

When I was convinced that my list was complete, I made a final copy. While I typed away, I made special mention of specific things I could do to reduce stress and not vague things like “exercise” or “healthy diet”. I made sure that I had made it specific, like ride my bike for 2 miles or include 2 fruits and 3 vegetables for lunch or dinner.

It’s important for you to remember to include actionable steps and to quantify your actions.

So, I just kept on coming up with more and more concrete ways to reduce stress in order to counteract the specific stressors I had included in the list. This made my personal development plan for stress management much easier for me to understand and that made it much easier for me to do.

And did I stop at this part? No, I also wrote down many of the possible ways that I could prevent further stress and this made my list even better than it was before!

Now the tough part of every decision making process and every personal development plan is to actually initiate the plan with action (meaning new habits) and to make the plan work. I had to commit 100% to everything that I had written down. This is why it’s so important to remember to make yourself a plan that is simple enough for you to be able to stick with.

Making a personal development plan was a great liberating experience! It gave me new insights on the things I would have never known I could do.

How about you, when is the last time you set out to put the pen to the paper and write out your personal development plan? This summer has the potential to be the best summer of your life, so why not start now with your very own personal development plan?!

Is this the summer you are going to stick to a plan for meditation?
Or how about the summer you plan to not only get closet clutter relief but also stay more organized in general?
Please share your ideas on your plans for personal development and start you commitment in the comments section today, thanks!

Do you know someone who could benefit from reading this? Please remember to share it with them, thanks!

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How to manage stress: HOME

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Creative Visualization
Gives You The Power
To Paint The Picture
Of Your Best Life
Experience

Here Are 3 Basic Solutions for Silencing Your Inner Critic:
The 3 R’s

Use The 3 R’s
To Silence Your
Inner Critic:
Recognize
Release
Reconsctruct

The depth of your gratitude
is directly measured
by the velocity
with which you lose it.
Your stress levels
are directly proportional
to your level of gratitude.

Start Where You Are
Do What You Can
Use What You Have
-Arthur Ashe

Whatever The Power Of the Universe Brings You To
The Power Of The Universe Can Bring You Through

Laugh Yourself Happy:
How To Manage Stress The Easy Way!

You Need 3 Bones in Life:
1. A Wishbone
2. A Backbone
3. A Funnybone

Top 10 Most Popular Funny Websites:
Time To Get Your Belly Laugh On!

DECIPHER YOUR CODE +
APPLY IT =
THE PIGS START FLYING!