10 Ways To Handle Stress

                                    A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled

                                                                  stress extraordinary well.

There isn't anything wrong with having some stress in our lives. But if we have too much for a longer period of time, stress can affect us in a negative way. Balance is key.

If you have been dealing with a lot of stress lately and for an extended period of time, it might be a good thing to slow down and take it a little easy for a while.
This way, stress won't overwhelm you and it won't have a negative effect on your health and your wellbeing.

Stress isn't just a negative thing. To have a lot to do isn't always a bad thing. Quite the opposite.
We need a little stress to get us going. It will help us focus and to prioritize and it will a lot of times make us more creative.
We actually need the good stress to get us off the couch and get us going. Without it, we wouldn't dare to take chances, we wouldn't start over again after a setback or crisis and we would constantly procrastinate.
The perfect thing would be to have a little stress on a regular basis. It will make us healthier and it will make us feel more alive.

Stress that is negative for our wellbeing is the one that will last for a long time. And if we are bad at handling the stress it can lead to undesirable consequences for our bodies and our wellbeing.
We all need to make sure that we get enough time to relax and enough time to re-charge our batteries. If we don't it will often lead to feeling stressed, overwhelmed and eventually burnout.

To completely avoid stress isn't good either. Our brain needs to stay active and it gets better with learning new things. In other words, our brain needs to be stimulated and it needs to practice handling stress. So if your brain never gets to experience stress at all, it will eventually get very bad at handling just a little bit of stress.

The brain is like a muscle. You have to work it on a regular basis for it to get better. The key is not to overwork it for a longer period of time without any rest, relaxation and some fun. 

"Our greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another." 

- William James

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."

- Albert Einstein

 A Few Tips How to Handle Stress

Balance is key. Try not to get overstimulated at the same time as you don't want to get understimulated either. Work hard for a few hours and then make sure you take a break. Then you can work hard again and then relax.

If you have worked very hard for a longer period of time then try to take it a little easy for a while.
If you have had a tough time at work or in your private life, learn to take a step back and enjoy some down time. Same thing if you have been doing too little for a while make sure you step up the pace.

Variety is a great. If you have been in meetings all day make sure that you have some alone time at night. Or if you have been alone during the day you might need to get out of the house in the evening and enjoy some kind of activity with family or friends.

Down time doesn't mean that you do absolutely nothing. If you have been using your brain all day you might enjoy a slow walk in the woods with your dog in the evening. Or start a new hobby.

Avoid worrying and overthinking. Easier said than done. I know!!!
Remember that your brain will get better at what it is practicing.
So if you are worrying a lot, guess what? Your brain will get better at worrying.
Worrying is just a bad habit and you do have control over your own thoughts and what you focus on.

Learn to focus on what you do want, instead of what you don't want.

If you are stressed about not having enough time you might want to take a closer look at where you are spending your time. Write it down for a couple of days and your will quickly see where you are wasting time.
In the end it comes down to learning to prioritize.

Laugh and have some fun. Laughing is a great stress relief. Watching a funny movie after a tough day at work is a fantastic way to relax and feel good.

Reward yourself often. Create a few small weekly rewards for yourself for being able to relax and taking some steps back. It can be inviting a friend for a cup of coffee. A wonderful bubble-bath or buy yourself a small gift.

Create meaningful and low stress relationships with family and friends.

Nothing is permanent. 

Don't stress yourself too much because no matter how bad the situation is... it will change.

"Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle."

- Christian D. Larson

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I'm Looking For Finishers

                                           "Beginners are many; finishers are few."

                                                                 - Stephen R. Covey

Have you ever been to someone's house to find out that they are buried in unfinished projects?

They are building a few new cabinets in the kitchen.
They are adding a new shower in the bathroom.
The floor in the living room is being replaced.
The plumbing is under construction in the laundry room.
All the walls upstairs are being painted.

This sounds exhausting but it actually happens. People take on way too many projects at the same time and they don't finish either one. This will eventually cause a lot of stress to the people living in this house and it will cause a lot of stress in general. Knowing that you have all these unfished project and not having the energy to finish either one.
If you come back to the house six months later... same thing. No progress to talk about and they might have even added another project.

I think we can all agree that we don't want to live in that house. At least I know... I don't.

"Stick to a task until it sticks to you... for beginners are many, but finishers few." 

- Thomas S. Monson

But we don't recognize that a lot of us will actually do the same thing in our lives.
The above example is so easy to recognize. But a lot of times we can't see or we don't want to face it and admit what we are doing in our own lives (or don't do).

People love to start new projects or maybe even a new business. And sometimes people will even do this when it comes to relationships. A new relationship is always fun in the beginning and it makes you feel wonderful just like a new business or project will.

Yes... everything is fun in the beginning. All your friends and your family are onboard and they are cheering you on. It is something new and often very exciting.
But what happens a couple of months into the project when you are running out of energy, your friends are busy with their own lives and they don't care so much anymore, and no one is there to cheer you on... but you?
What happens when it's not fun anymore? What happens when you get frustrated and easily distracted? What happens when the motivation, inspiration and self-discipline is fading?

Now you quit or you jump into something new that will give you a new inspiration and a burst of energy.
You are now excited again... at least  for a while until this new thing becomes boring or you see no results.
Can you see the pattern here?

A lot of people will start new things. It doesn't matter if it is a new business, new health-plan, a financial plan or a new relationship. It is fun to start, but very few people will finish what they actually started.
A lot of people are actually living in the house in the example above. They have started way too many projects and finished none.

Time to change this!
Make commitment to yourself that this time you will finish what you started. No matter what. It doesn't matter if no one is there to cheer you on or you haven't seen any results for a while.
Be committed.
Finish one thing at a time.
Don't start anything new until you have finished the previous project.
It is a known fact that it is very difficult to finish the last 5-10% of almost any project.

It will become very stressful to live with a lot of unfinished project around you and it won't boost your self-esteem or you confidence.

This is stress that you don't need in your life. It's stress that is under your control and that can be avoided.

When you start something and you finish it... it will be the greatest feeling and you must celebrate!!!

It's great to start... but you must also finish.

"When it's all said and done, the finish line doesn't care how many miles you had to run  or how fast you have gone. It just cares that you arrive. That you finish what you started."

- Fellou Flowers

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Build Good Habits

                                 "Watch your actions, they become your habits.

                                 Watch your habits, the become your character."

                                                               - Vince Lombardi

We are all constantly changing and our habits are also constantly changing. I don't have the same habits as I had when I was younger or even a year ago. As we get a little smarter and also a little wiser and as we learn new and better things and ways, we hopefully improve our lives by improving our daily habits. 

How about you... how have you changed during the past 20 years? 10 year? 5 years or the last year? I bet you have changed and your habits have also changed. Maybe some habits have gotten better and maybe some habits have gotten worse?

As I look back on my life I am amazed at some of the habits I use to have and the things I used to do and the things I ignored that would have been good for me to do. But we all grow as we gain experiences in life and hopefully learn from them. We also learn from other people's experiences as we get to know people or read about others, read the books they have written or listen to them on TV, radio and the internet. 

"Your habits will determine your quality of life." 

- Dennis Waitley

Today I want to share 5 great habits that have made me both physically and mentally stronger.

1. I watch what I eat. I have eliminated most processed foods in my diet and I also have reduced my sugar intake. These kinds of foods will often leave us feeling sluggish, tired, inflamed, bloated and it will be hard to focus and concentrate when we eat a lot of processed foods and sugars. If something is in a box, I try to avoid it. If I read the labels and I don't understand the ingredients or can't pronounce the ingredients, I try to stay away from it. I have adapted a pure, simple, whole and REAL food diet and it makes me feel so much better both physically and mentally. I didn't always eat like this and I have to admit I love sugar and especially chocolate. I do allow myself something sweet once in a while but not every day. 

2. I drink plenty of water. A lot of people are constantly dehydrated. The are not drinking enough water during the day and they also eat food that is dry... like bread, crackers, pasta, pastries and not enough foods that contain water... like vegetables, fruit and berries. Also a lot of people drink soda, coffee, tea and alcohol and that will also make them more dehydrated. Instead pay attention to what you eat. Try to add more fruits and vegetables and make sure you drink enough water during the day. How much water should we drink? I try to drink at least 3 liters per day. It means that I am constantly sipping on water and I also eat a lot of berries, fruit and vegetables on a daily basis and I don't eat much dry foods.

3. I move my body daily. I have always enjoyed an active lifestyle and I try to do some kind of exercise at least for 60 minutes daily. I love to walk and hike and I do yoga and some kind of strength training almost every day. Many years ago I used to go to the gym all the time but in the last 10 years I enjoy spending more time walking and hiking outdoors. I believe me must all find some kind of exercise that we enjoy doing or we won't do it. I used to love going to the gym but I have changed and my exercise habits have changed. Who knows I might be going to the gym again in the future but right now I am very content spending time out in nature walking and hiking.

4. I prioritize sleep. I try to get at least six to eight hours of sleep every night. If I don't get enough sleep I can feel it the next day and I try to correct it the following night. A lot of people don't get enough sleep and it will leave them tired, sluggish and having a hard time concentrating. It's during sleep that our bodies heal and regenerates and most people simply ignore this.

5. I  calm my mind. I don't watch TV. I haven't watched TV for the past 15 years. I stay away from mainstream media completely.... all they try to do is to get people angry, worried, fearful and divided. Instead I watch movies and documentaries that I pick. I like to learn and not just sit around just watching whatever is being served up on the TV and the mainstream news. Don't waste time. I pay attention to who I listen to and who I spend time with. I am selective when it comes to the people I give my time to. Once the time is gone we can never get it back, so we must all choose wisely where and with whom we spend our time. I also allow people to be who they are. We are all different and we cannot control others and we don't have the right to control others. We can only control ourselves. So I work on improving myself instead of trying to change and control others. Sometimes we must learn to ignore things and focus on our own dreams and what we want to create and accomplish in our own life.

What are some of your good habits?

What are some good habits that you would like to develop in your own life?

"We first make our habits then our habits make us."

- John Dryden

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You Teach People How To Treat You

                         "You teach people how to treat you by what you allow,

                                         what you stop and what you reinforce."

                                                                     - Tony Gaskin

                    

We are never responsible for another person's behavior. We don't have control over what they say and do.

But we do have control over our own reaction and what we do and say.

So if a person in your life isn't treating you with the respect that you deserve, you might want to make a few decisions.

Do you want the behavior from this person to continue?
Or do you want to do something about it? 

Be careful what you tolerate. 

You are teaching people how to treat you.

If you do want to make a change, you might first want to take a look at yourself and ask.....

Am I doing something to trigger this behavior in this person?
Or why am I allowing this behavior to continue without me saying STOP!

By not doing anything about the situation, says something about you.
Why are you allowing this person to continue to disrespect you?

"If I am not good to myself,

 how can I expect anyone else to be good to me."
- Maya Angelou

Maybe you are afraid that if you speak your mind this person doesn't want to be friends with you anymore?

If you start saying "NO" to a person that you are romantically involved with, you might fear that the person will walk away from the relationship. So to remain in the relationship you will tolerate that he/she disrespects you.

You are afraid to speak up at work or in a meeting, because you fear that might lose your job or that your co-workers won't like you?

Don't let someone get comfortable with disrespecting you.

Or maybe you might even enjoy feeling wronged, because then you will have a story to tell everyone?

There is a payoff in everything that we do.

But if you want change... if you want to see a different result, then you need to teach people how to treat you.

You have control over you.
This is great because now you are the one who has been allowing others to disrespect you, but now you can change that.


 "I teach people how to treat me
 by what I will allow."
- Stephen Covey

Is it time to examine what you tolerate?

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Healthy Living

         The best investment you will ever make is in your own health

I know I have talked about this before but have you noticed that the world seem to be upside-down. A lot of things have changed dramatically during theses past 4 years. It's easy to focus on all the craziness that is going on. It's easy to feel upset, depressed, angry and sad when we are noticing what is happening all around the world.

Since we do have control over what we focus on and where our attention goes, I just want to mention that since a lot of things seems to be out of control, I believe that taking control of our overall health and wellbeing is very important right now. If you are already doing this... Fantastic!!! And if you are not... NOW is the perfect time to start.
It's always easier to deal with things /people/events around us if  we have a strong body and a strong mind.

How can we get stronger and healthier?
First we start with what goes in our body and on our body.
We have control over what we eat and what we drink every day. We also have control over the the products we use in out home. All kinds of personal hygiene products, make-up, cleaning products, air-fresheners, laundry-detergent, scented candles just to name a few. 

When you buy a product to use in your home, have you ever read the label to find out if the product you are buying is toxic to your health? Most people never even look at the labels before they buy something and unfortunately a lot of the everyday products we use a very toxic to us. How about the food and the drinks you buy... do you ever read the labels before you buy something to make sure is okay for you to consume?

You cannot buy your health, you must earn it through healthy living.

Here are a few tips!
Read the labels before you buy something. If you can't pronounce something it probably isn't good for you. If you are not sure what the ingredients mean, go online and do your own research. Your health is important make sure you find out the facts!

Start cooking at home. At least you know what the ingredients are when you get in the kitchen and cook your own meals. When you dine out you have no idea what goes into to your food. And stay away from FAST food places. They are not cooking anything there that your body needs.

Alcohol isn't good for you. Not even a glass of red wine is good for you.  Alcohol is poison. Why would you pay money to poison your body and jeopardize your overall health?

Let's tackle  coffee next. Guess what... coffee is also a poison and you should not drink it. I know you might not agree with me but you can do your own research and find out for yourself if you are a coffee drinker. I will also mention the energy drinks that are very popular with a lot of people... NOT good for you. I have to include tea here too. Tea isn't good for you either. Personally I love hot tea. I had to give it up and in the future I will only drink tea occasionally.

Sugar... I think we all know by now that sugar is not something that we should eat too much of. Of course we can allow ourselves something sweet once in a while, but not every day. Always check the labels because there are a lot of hidden sugar in many products that we buy each and every day. Stay away from sodas, they are loaded with sugar and of course other unhealthy ingredients. Start checking the labels and you will be astonished of what you will find inside some of the items you consume and use every day.

It's time to start eating REAL and natural food. No more fake foods with toxic ingredients that will damage your body and your mind. And yes you can live without McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks and your favorite wine or beer. Stay away from processed foods and try to buy organic as much as possible.

If you are a smoker, NOW will be a good time to quit.

Love yourself enough to live a healthy lifestyle.

It's Time To Take Control Of Your Own Health!
Are You Ready?

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