How You View Yourself

The way we view ourselves can either add to, or take away from our health and overall well-being.

Eating disorders and depression seem to be on the increase. Not all are related to the way we view ourselves, but some start out that way. A person may view themselves so negatively that they will go to the extreme in having multiple surgeries and diet in a very unhealthy way and wreck havoc on their body. They want to have that “perfect” look.

If what’s on the inside of a person isn’t corrected, surgery and crash dieting isn’t going to help. Unless you change your negative views of yourself into positive views, you will have a continuous battle with yourself.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to enhance one’s looks, but when it becomes an obsession or goes to the extreme because a person views themselves so negatively, it will eventually backfire.

If you feel obsessed with perfecting the exterior of yourself by going to the extreme - STOP in your tracks and ask yourself…how are you viewing yourself? How are you viewing yourself from the inside out, not the outside in? Look inward first to understand what is going on before ruining your health with an eating disorder or countless

Mood for meditation

a) Playing tracks with nature sounds helps increase calmness during the meditation process.

b) Rosary beads assist the body, and hence, the mind to stay on track by bringing in a sense of rhythm during meditation.

c) Audio-hypnotic software is now available which produces hypnotic pulses of light on your computer monitor!

d) Power rods, a technique used in ancient Egypt, helps regulate the electromagnetic fields of thhe body during meditation.

e) Quartz crystals , associated with energy levels, have therapeutic effects.

f) Colour therapy is useful during meditation. For example, blue creates a sense of trust and decisiveness.

How can we reduce anger?

Heard the saying, anger is one word short of danger? Well, it’s true. People with short tempers are also vulnerable to heart-related ailments. Anger could be triggered by stress, lack of sleep, crash diets and insufficient water intake. Here are simple things one can do to arrest anger.

HOW CAN WE REDUCE ANGER?

a) Practice relaxation exercises and breathing techniques to calm the mind and body.

b) Learn to resolve conflicts through effective communication minus outbursts.

c) Use problem-solving techniques such as goal setting and time management to reduce stress levels.

d) Eating well and at regular intervals helps to keep energy levels in check.

e) Get at least 6-8 hours of sleep, so that you don’t feel irritable and grouchy.

f) Take a break when you’re tired. This can help you rejuvenate.

g) Keep yourself upbeat by indulging in a hobby.

h) Compartmentalise your work and personal lives.

i) Nurture your support systems, like family and friends.

j) Regular exercise helps to keep the mind and body fresh.

k) Seek counselling for interpersonal conflicts.

l) Be assertive instead of aggressive.

STRATEGIES TO CONTROL AGGRESSION:

1) Accept that being angry is perfectly normal.

2) Identify your source/trigger of anger.

3) Shift your focus from ‘what was done to me’ to ‘what I can do’

4) Create positive self-talk.

5) Identify your irrational beliefs.

6) Think of a more rational and adaptive plan of action.

7) Change thoughts that provoke anger, interpreting the situation from a different (less provocative) point of view.

Wrtie down angry thoughts.

9) Focus on gratitude-make a list of things you are thankful for.

Mental fitness is a vital aspect of our life

Keeping you mentally fit is an essential need. No any person in the world can be happy without mental health. Though, you have all material things or are able to get it with ease, these material things will never give you mental health.

You may find that many people say that they are mentally strong. Tell them about their any mistake politely and watch their reaction, if people answer back you, then it is sure they are not in good mental health. Same is with you. How you react to any incident of your life will determine your mental health.

Mental health is not gained instantly. It requires self-examination. It needs to think you deeply. If you want mental health, you should know on what matters you lose mind stability. You should understand your behavior carefully. Once you understand yourself internally, you will be your on the way of good mental health.

Watch Out For These Stress Symptoms!

The first step to destress is to recognise that you are stressed and to know what your limits are. Taking active steps to reduce the amount of external stress is important and getting regular breaks from stressful lifestyle will help you to cope better and avoid the situation reaching a crisis point. So look out for these symptoms…

1) Constantly on edge, with a very short fuse and ready to explode for no real reason

2) Feeling on the verge of tears much of the time

3) Difficulty in concentrating, decision-making or with memory

4) Always tired even after a full night’s sleep

5) Your sleep is disturbed and unrefreshing

6) A feeling of not being able to cope, it all seems like too much

7) Poor appetite, or else nibbling without hunger

No sense of fun or enjoyment in life

9) Mistrustful of everybody, unable to enjoy company

10) Inability to relax or unwind even if not working

11) Problems in relationships, no interest in sex

12) Always fidgeting or having a nervous habit such as biting your nails or chewing your hair

Self-Help Tips for Depression

Depression is real. It can be mild or severe. It can cause a few disruptions in life or cause one to completely shut down. Depression can be derived from a variety of factors and cause a variety of symptoms. Those suffering from depression may have a decreased appetite, lose interest in activities they normally love, lack energy, sleep excessively, have suicidal thoughts or suffer from insomnia. The list goes on.

For those suffering from chronic or severe depression, guidance from your doctor is needed, but there are ways you can help with the battle against depression.

Tips:

*  If you are on any kind of medication, check with your doctor to see if it may be causing depression. Depression can be a side effect of many medications.

*  Keep your mind active. An inactive mind allows a breeding ground for negative thoughts. Share your thoughts and ideas with others. Read uplifting and inspirational books, poetry or articles. Keep a journal or write about interesting things you’ve experienced through the years.

*  Become aware of negative thoughts that add to your depression. When you are depressed, negative thoughts come with the territory, but doing everything you can to ward off negative thoughts is helpful. Don’t minimize your accomplishments, your purpose or what you have to offer to others. Place value on yourself and even the smallest of accomplishments.

*  Turn to your Higher Power. For me that is God. Knowing there is a Higher Power that offers strength and comfort beyond what any mortal can offer is very helpful.

*  Be realistic with your expectations. Maybe you feel like a failure because you don’t have what you want or aren’t where you feel you should be in life. Learn to focus on what you can control and let go of what you have no control over.

*  Don’t isolate yourself. Depression can make you feel like hiding from the world. You may feel like no one cares, but this isn’t true. Reach out. Keeping secret what you are going through only makes it worse.

*  Eat nutritious meals and eat regularly. Having the right nutrients will help your body fight whatever causes it to be under stress. You may not have much of an appetite, but try to eat something or maybe vitamin-enriched drinks like Ensure.

*  Get outside more. Depression can make you feel paralyzed to the point going outside may seem a world away. Do a little at a time. Even if you sit outside for a few minutes, it will help. Being among nature, even if in your back yard can be uplifting.

*  When everyday tasks feel monumental, break them down into small steps. Prioritize what you need to take care of. Embrace the sense of accomplishment instead of focusing on what you haven’t accomplished.

*  Exercise. Getting motivated to exercise can feel impossible when you are suffering from depression. But, by breaking exercise down into small steps, it becomes a bit easier. Enlisting an exercise buddy can be a great motivator.

* If at all possible, help others. By helping others, we feel a sense of purpose and value. It also allows us to get outside of our own problems, even if temporarily.

While these methods might not be a cure for depression, they can help win the battle!

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

We’ve all heard the phrase, “don’t worry, be happy”. Sometimes those words are difficult to implement in life, especially when struggles keep coming at us one after the other. But, the phrase has merit.

It’s almost impossible to be happy every moment of every day, but changing our mindset can bring positive results. Have you ever noticed how quickly your mood changes when someone offers a kind word, a smile or even a joke? By talking to yourself more positively, you can have the same results.

Be aware of what you tell yourself. You may be telling lies. If you say you are worthless, you have no purpose, nothing will ever change for the better, your mood is certainly going to be negative. This not only affects you, but those you are around.

The moment you realize you are inflicting negativity upon yourself - STOP! Turn the negativity around and think of something or do something positive. Negativity breeds negativity and positivity breeds positivity. Self-care isn’t just about exercising and eating right, but about how we treat ourselves in thought.

We often try to look for someone or something to make us happy, but true happiness comes from within. Our perception of the world and of ourselves is where happiness or unhappiness lies. Strive to have a positive and happy state of mind and the worries won’t be as intense.

Brainwaves

I know… mentioning brain waves and how they affect your healthy living is so New Age.  Trust me, I’m not that New Ageish of a person.  However, after not being able to sleep, a friend of mine told me that I needed to try some music that had specific alpha and theta waves, both which would slow down your brain patterns.

After listening to an hour of synthesizers, oceans and a continuous resonant tone, I was exhausted, and I have never slept better.

The reason why this works is because it slows down the waves in your brain.  We are naturally multi-taskers when we are awake.  From the time that our brains started evolving, we started thinking in twos, mostly because we had to go hunting, catch the berries and make sure that the kids were okay at the same time.

One of the major reasons why many of us have problems relaxing and going to sleep is not because of a medical condition, but simply because we can’t slow down our brainwaves.  When you tune into the alpha and theta waves, it tunes into the parts of your brain that make it hard to sleep.  For those that have more experience with this, you probably know that meditating for twenty minutes every day does the same thing.

Not only will the alpha and theta waves help to slow you down to sleep, but it can also speed you up.  If you are trying to gain some energy for the day, you can use this type of music in order to allow you to relax, then focus and gain energy.

The results are unexplainable.  Get off of your sleep medication or your strange sleeping habits and get an alpha or theta relaxation tape.  It will keep you rested and looking young.

Mental Health & Physical Health

Do you ever wonder if your mental health has caused your physical health to deteriorate? I have challenged this issue with myself for many years and I have often wondered if I am the cause of my own diseases. Emotionally I guess I have never been really strong, although I try to be. I am finding lately that things that happened to me years ago (I’m talking like 20 + years ago) are coming back to haunt me today. As these thoughts and memories haunt me, I find that my physical health continues to deteriorate.

I have always been one who tries to pretend that everything is okay and I try to keep a smile on my face and not show that I am upset or that things are bothering me, but inside I feel like I am a train wreck. I guess all of my years of “thinking” I was dealing with things okay has come back to show me that I was so wrong.

I am learning that in order to get better physically I need to get better mentally and discover who I really am, get past old demons, and enjoy life. Lord knows I don’t want to pass any of my issues onto my son because I don’t want him going through what I am experiencing now when he is my age.

I wanted to write a book, so now I guess I am going to have something to really write about! My emotional journey has been hard and hopefully once I can fix my emotional sickness my physical sickness will improve.

Don’t Be So Serious!

In this space, I’m going to be writing a serious blog about how everyone needs to stop being so serious!

One of the reasons why many of us are aging so quickly, is because we have let the world get to us.  Sure, things may be stressful at times and there are always problems to deal with and new challenges that are coming up, be it work, home, family and relationships or even problems with pets.

It’s not really the problem with the problems that’s the problem.  It’s how we react to it.

When we are dealing with something that is coming our way, doing it seriously causes stress.  Stress can cause the brain waves to completely freak out and go hay wire.  This can cause depression, anxiety, lack of sleep and all types of health issues later on, both mentally and even physically.

The result?  We end up aging incredibly fast.

If you really want to get a handle on how to be mentally healthy, it’s easier than you think.  Don’t take the problems and life so seriously.  Instead, laugh about it.  There are several angles and ways to approach the problems that seem to be a burden and to allow them to become something of the opposite - a celebratory experience - a minor problem from a major one - a recognized learning experience - and a way to grow closer to someone while gaining inner strength.
Living mentally healthy means learning how to respond in the correct way to others.  When you are able to do this, magic will happen.  You will gain mental and emotional balance and life will be much more enjoyable to live.

So, if you working on your health, start by putting your chin up and taking things on the ‘lighter side.’

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