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Vacation In Vegas – Love the Creativity There

Vacation In Vegas – Love the Creativity There

Jeff and I took a short vacation in Las Vegas. Over the years, we’ve puzzled about why we are drawn to this glitzy, showy town. When I visited it in the early 1990’s, I couldn’t wait to leave. Jeff and I first visited in 2000 to enjoy the Star Trek ride (yes, I love Star Trek), and we expected that one extra day would be all we could stand.

Instead, we were enthralled with the themed casinos: Luxor, Excalibur, New York/New York, Treasure Island, and the Venetian. The waste of electricity and water violated our green sensibilities, and yet we loved the lights and Bellagio Dancing Waters.

After mulling over it, we finally realized that we love the creativity and sense of design. The details in some of the themed casinos are beautiful. Unfortunately, the new business attitude in Vegas wants to erase the themes. This is unfortunate, because most of the crowds were in the casinos and shopping areas that still looked different.

We found enough in Vegas to again want to return. This year, we went to Shark Reef in Mandalay Bay. I touched Stingrays, Horseshoe Crabs, and baby Zebra or Leopard Sharks. Our feet hurt from the miles we walked each day and we’re nursing blisters, but we’re elated from our adventure.

Resources to deal with bullies, difficult, abusive or toxic people

Resources to deal with bullies, difficult, abusive or toxic people

These are books I’ve found helpful in learning how to deal with difficult people. You can use them as a place to start finding resources that will help you cope and care for your well being.

  1. Tongue Fu!: How to Deflect, Disarm, and Defuse Any Verbal Conflict by Sam Horn
  2. Take the Bully by the Horns: Stop Unethical, Uncooperative, or Unpleasant People from Running and Ruining Your Life by Sam Horn
  3. The Verbally Abusive Relationship: How to recognize it and how to respond by Patricia Evans
  4. Verbal Abuse Survivors Speak Out; On relationship and recovery by Patricia Evans
  5. Controlling People: How to Recognize, Understand, and Deal with People Who Try to Control You by Patricia Evans
  6. The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense at Work by Suzette Haden Elgin
  7. Toxic People: Decontaminate Difficult People at Work Without Using Weapons Or Duct Tape by Marsha Petrie Sue
  8. The Reactor Factor: How to Handle Difficult Work Situations Without Going Nuclear by Marsha Petrie Sue
  9. Coping with Difficult People: The Proven-Effective Battle Plan That Has Helped Millions Deal with the Troublemakers in Their Lives at Home and at Work by Robert M. Branson
Embracing a Wider Perspective

Embracing a Wider Perspective

When you leap forward in personal growth, it can be disorienting. You’ve outgrown your old awareness and have to change the way you respond to life. You can’t go back to the old way, or put the genii back into the bottle. Here are a couple of strategies that can help re-orient you to your new inner landscape.



Copyright 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

3 Tips To Get Back In The Flow

3 Tips To Get Back In The Flow

We’ve all had days where nothing seemed to go right. And the harder we tried to make things better, the worse they got. Unfortunately, by focusing on the negative, it just creates an atmosphere that draws more of it to you. The fear something will go wrong makes sure it will. Here are 3 tips to get out of that frame of mind and back on track.



Copyright 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Stress Management Through Relaxation & Chinese Power Healing Techniques, Part 2

Stress Management Through Relaxation & Chinese Power Healing Techniques, Part 2

by K.P. Rajagopalan

Another very effective stress management method has been developed by Chinese Doctor Zhi Gang Sha, an MD in Western Medicine, presently practising traditional Chinese medicine in the USA & Canada.

Dr. Sha has been able to bring considerable & sustained relief to long-standing sufferers of migraine, asthma, back pain and even serious diseases like multiple sclerosis and cancer. It is of interest to note that Dr. Sha has also worked as the personal physician of the Dy. Prime Minister of China.  He calls his system of healing as “Power Healing” which is a combination of 4 techniques namely, Body Power, Soul Power, Sound Power and Mind Power which can be adapted for healing of any abnormal condition of  the  body, quickly and easily.

The procedure adopted for ‘stress management’  in  the “Power Healing” system of therapy is based on the discovery/understanding that stress is any energy blockage in the head & removing the same will reduce your stress right away.

The following practice is a simple & effective one for reducing stress.

Body Power

Sit in a chair.  Keep your back straight & don’t lean back against the chair.  Use the One hand near, One hand far Body Power technique i.e. point your near hand at the crown chakra at the top of  your head.  This hand should be held about 4” to 7” above your head.  Place your Far hand 15” to 20” away from your lower abdomen, with the palm facing your body.  The near hand creates a high density field at the head, while the far hand creates a low density field at the lower abdomen. Energy will flow from high-density ( the head) to low-density ( the lower abdomen)
dissipating the energy blockages in the head and reducing stress. At the same time, your fundamental energy centres will be nourished and strengthened.

Soul Power

Say “hello” : Dear Soul, Mind & Body of my head, lower abdomen, near hand, far hand, ee-joe (one-nine) & the bright golden light, I love you.  Please give me a healing to reduce my stress.  Do a good job,  Thank you, The combined Soul Power of your head, abdomen & hand combined with ‘ee–joe’ & the brightest golden light, can offer incredible healing to reduce your stress.

Sound Power

Chant the healing sounds of number one and nine in Chinese “ee” & “joe” respectively. ‘Ee’ stimulates cellular vibration in the head. ‘Joe’ stimulates cellular vibration in the lower abdomen. Chanting ee-joe repeatedly will move blocked energy from the head to the lower abdomen, reducing your stress.

Mind Power

Visualize the brightest golden light flowing from the head to the lower abdomen. The intention of your mind, coupled with the vibration of the cells in your brain & head, will move blocked energy from the head to the lower abdomen. Visualize and imagine yourself in perfect health & being completely calm and relaxed, full of inner joy and peace.

Do this practice for 3-5 minutes.  Repeat several times a day as needed.  You can use it to prevent stress as well as to reduce it.

Copyright 2011 K.P. Rajagopalan
All Rights Reserved

The author is working as Deputy General Manager In-charge of the Unit office of Steel Authority of India Ltd, Bokaro Steel Plant (A Govt of India Enterprise) at Chennai, INDIA and can be contacted at Phone: 91-44-9444397294 / 9791071534  and  at the e-mail ID: www.sundararajagopalan@yahoo.com.

Stress Management Through Relaxation & Chinese Power Healing Techniques, Part 1

Stress Management Through Relaxation & Chinese Power Healing Techniques, Part 1

by K.P. Rajagopalan

The term ‘Stress’ when related to human physiology refers to the body’s responses to everything from viruses and cold effects to emotions such as fear and anger.  Dr. Hans Selye, the foremost exponent of the effects of stress, has defined stress in the following manner i.e. stress is the body’s non-specific response to any demand placed on it, whether that demand is pleasant or not.

All of us have a stress “Savings A/c” deposited in our body as our life force. The object is to spend it wisely over the longest time span possible. The difference between our stress savings A/c and the normal bank A/c is that we cannot make any more deposits into the stress A/c. We can only make withdrawals.

The reason most people age at different rates is that our society is full of “big spenders” who over-react to harmless circumstances as if they were life or death matters. We see it everyday on our roads and on buses when we are on the way to work.

It is impossible to be truly creative when we are tense & nervous.  When one is tense, he works at a greatly reduced level of efficiency.  Some of body’s warning signs that stress is beginning to seriously affect us are:

(1)  Intestinal Distress
(2)  Insomnia
(3)  Nail biting
(4)  Memory lapse
(5)  Hunger for sweets
(6)  Frequent illness
(7)  Rapid Pulse
(8)  Persistent fatigue
(9)  Irritability
(10) Lack of concentration
(11) Increased use of alcohol

The best way to overcome this state/situation is the practice of conscious relaxation techniques which lead to a condition of relaxed alertness i.e. the body going to a totally relaxed state but the mind remains alert-the ideal state for super accomplishment.  The more often these exercises are repeated the more they will become a part of our habitual thinking.  We shall begin to think habitually of relaxation, rather than pressure and strain.

Relaxation can be easily achieved by deep breathing followed by rolling the eyes upwards & counting backward from 50 to 1.  By this process, there is a reduction in our brain wave frequency (as measured by EEG) and we reach the ‘alpha’ level where the brainwave frequency is 8-14 cycles/sec— found by research to be the most productive level for impacting the sub-conscious mind. We can deepen the relaxation by visualizing/imagining peaceful scenes like being in a garden or at the beach or watching humorous scenes or listening to humorous stories which make you laugh.

There are long relaxation techniques and short relaxation techniques.

If you lead a really hectic life, or if you are currently in a period of increased stress, the long relaxation procedures are recommended.  However, most people can turn on their mental computer in a few seconds and do not need minutes to get into a state of  physical and mental relaxation.  For them, the short relaxation techniques work fine.

Three long Relaxation Techniques

1. Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Relax your scalp. Relax your forehead. Relax your cheeks, mouth, neck, chest, back, thighs, legs, feet and toes. Take your time—-visualize  each body part.  Move each part, also mentally “talk” to it and  ask it to relax.

2. Sit in a comfortable position.  Close your eyes.  Take 3 deep breaths, exhaling slowly after each breath.  Now, count backward  from 100 to 1. Mentally visualize each number before going onto the next.

3. Sit in a comfortable position.  Close your eyes & imagine you  are in an elevator that is about to descend.  It could be an elevator in a department store, in which case you can “hear” the automated voice recite “Seventh Floor, Women’s clothes etc.” When you reach the 1st floor, you are ready to begin programming your mental computer.  Or the elevator can be in a mine shaft.  See signs stating each 100 ft down.  When you reach 2000 ft, you are ready to begin mental programming.

A short relaxation technique

1. Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes.  Take a deep breath & exhale slowly. Do this again. Do this a third time.  Now, visualize several peaceful scenes you are familiar with.  Enjoy each scene as if you were there being sure to recreate the colors you saw. You are now ready to program your mental computer.

Copyright 2011 K.P. Rajagopalan
All Rights Reserved

The author is working as Deputy General Manager In-charge of the Unit office of Steel Authority of India Ltd, Bokaro Steel Plant (A Govt of India Enterprise) at Chennai, INDIA and can be contacted at Phone: 91-44-9444397294 / 9791071534  and  at the e-mail ID: www.sundararajagopalan@yahoo.com.

7 Ways To Climb Out Of Your Slump

7 Ways To Climb Out Of Your Slump

by Linda-Ann Stewart

After a few unsuccessful plays, an athlete can sometimes get caught in a slump. They start performing far less than their potential. For instance, a basketball player wouldn’t be able to sink a ball even if he was standing over the net. By this time, he’s trying too hard and it interferes with his reflexes.

Yogi Berra said, “A full mind is an empty bat,” meaning that athletes who over think what they’ve been trained to do interrupt their muscle memory. They’re out of the groove and can’t get back into it.

Have you ever felt like that? Does it seem that everything is conspiring against you? After a few difficult or disappointing episodes, your thoughts spiral downwards and nothing works. Eventually, you can’t even hold onto a glass of water without spilling it. You might find yourself saying, “I knew it wasn’t going to work out,”  “Nothing ever goes my way,” or “I always get the short end of the stick.”

You’re tying up all your energy in focusing on the problem and trying not to screw up. And since that’s where your attention is, you have more trouble. Just like an athlete mentioned above, you’re giving yourself negative feedback, and that instructs the subconscious to create more of the same.

Break that cycle and climb out of your frustration using the following tips:

1. Realize that difficulties will happen, no matter what. The challenge is not to overreact to them. That just gives them more energy and more attention. It becomes a negative spiral into a self-fulfilling prophecy of disaster. Your slump may simply be due to the natural cycle of peak performance alternating with a period of recovery and regeneration. So relax and let nature take its course.

2. Check your overall stress level. Your underlying attention may be taken up with some difficulty in your life. Your mind has a limit in how many things it can focus on. Try and go beyond these limits and everything starts to fall apart. Your mind may be distracted by your other issues. Do some stress reduction practices like meditation, self-hypnosis, exercise, and others.

3. Step away from the problem. Relax. Take a walk, go to a movie, have a picnic. Let your subconscious work on it without your conscious mind trying to interfere and control the process. By shifting your attention onto something more pleasurable, it allows your subconscious to begin finding solutions.

4. Do something, anything, that makes you feel successful. If you don’t have any money coming in, get a job pushing a broom just to have the feeling of financial flow. Find a way to feel like you’ve accomplished something.

5. Write about your concerns. Studies show that doing this can reduce the anxiety felt just before a test, a meeting or starting a project. Journaling can also help your mind process the information differently and solve problems.

6. Instead of being discouraged or defeated by a challenge, reframe it so you perceive it to be a pleasant experience. Change your attitude towards it to be something to accomplish, not dread. Viewing it from a different perspective will also bring much more creative energy to bear.

7. Write a list of what you’re grateful for as a way of changing your mood. Studies show that gratitude is one of the best ways to form a positive frame of mind. It increases optimism and instructs your mind to begin looking for the good.

Athletes form rituals and superstitions to help get them out the negative frame of mind created by a slump. Instead of using that hit and miss method, use the more productive strategies listed above. They’re more helpful in the long run. Once you’ve been able to detach from and break the negative feedback loop, you can get back into the flow.

Affirmation

All of Life is for me and works for my best interests. When I encounter obstacles and disappointments, I remember that everything is conspiring for my Highest Good. Success is my natural state, and it is always at the core of whatever happens. I change my perspective to view any difficulties as temporary challenges that will ultimately further my success and well-being.

Copyright 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Just Breathe to Relieve Your Stress

Just Breathe to Relieve Your Stress

by Mike Gracen

Stress. You feel it in some way most days. Getting the kids to school on time. That deadline you have to meet or the “deal is off” at work. Your husband or wife just lost their job. Money is tight. Your house or car needs major repairs. Your parents are aging. You have a sick child. Your plane is late taking off. The airline lost your luggage and it contains all the hand outs for your presentation tomorrow, not to mention your “power” suit.

You get the picture, right? There are dozens of things that can shake us up and ruin our whole day everyday.

What can you do? Sit down. Relax. And breathe. That’s right, just breathe. Because if you don’t learn to do this, you might just learn how much damage stress causes in your life in terms of dis-ease and negativity.

How does breathing help stress, you ask? Slow, deep, focused breathing helps your body relax. Stress causes your body to react with a “fight or flight” response that raises your heart rate, quickens your breathing and puts your whole body “on alert.” Slow, deep breathing slows down your heart rate and relieves you of some of those intense feelings.

Next time you feel particularly stressed, try this:

First, get comfortable, whether it’s sitting in a chair or on the floor in a yoga position or lying down on a bed or outside on a blanket – the only thing that matters is that you relax.

Next, learn to breathe using your abdomen, not just your lungs and chest. Breathe in slowly through your nose, push your abdomen out, away from your spine for 5-6 seconds. Keep your shoulders relaxed.

Then exhale or breathe out through your mouth, pulling your stomach toward your spine, and squeezing all your air out.

Continue to breathe, not allowing any thoughts to enter your mind, other than the visualization of a peaceful place or imagining that you can feel each body part relax as you breathe. If a stressful thought enters your mind, push it away.

Deep, concentrated breathing is a simple and effective way to take your mind off whatever is stressing you at the time. Once you’re relaxed and your mind is clear, you can plan more permanent ways to relieve the situation that caused you stress in the first place.

If you or someone you know is experiencing the debilitating effects of chronic stress, I recommend ChooseNatural.com to find natural stress remedies, including natural asthma relief, that can help relieve your symptoms.

Copyright 2011 Mike Gracen
All Rights Reserved

Exercise Is Effective To Combat Depression, Anxiety, and Stress

Exercise Is Effective To Combat Depression, Anxiety, and Stress

Many years ago, I was depressed from a relationship breakup. I knew that exercise would help my mood, so I forced myself to go for a walk. After 30 minutes, on the last quarter-mile to my house, I checked in on my mood and found it had improved by 80%.

In the years since, many studies have validated my experience. Exercise is considered almost magic in what it can do for depression and anxiety disorders. I know it felt like magic for me.

Yet another study has come out verifying how amazing exercise can be for these mental conditions. Exercise reduces depression, anxiety, and stress, increased energy, and re-establishes positive behaviors.

Until my walk, I hadn’t been able to plan or work on a project that needed my attention. Afterwards, I had the energy and ability to focus on what I needed to do.

Drugs and medications take weeks, if not months, to start working and give people a light at the end of the tunnel. Exercise is effective within 25 minutes. Imagine taking a pill, and a half-hour later feeling significantly better.

Yes, it’s hard to drag yourself out to do it, but keep the end result in mind. In a half-hour, you could feel better if you exercise, or you could feel the same as you do now because you sat on the couch. Which do you prefer?

To read more about this current study, visit  Sports Are 80 Percent Mental: Is Exercise The Cure For Depression?