Personal Stress Management for One Week - Getting ahead of the competition seems to be the prevailing mantra for competitive people. In a world where only the fittest survives, has to go through different challenges and hurdle a variety of difficulties before they can even reach the ladder of success. Some people may be successful in their pursuit while others have succumb to the negative effects of stress that their lives demand.
Each one of us can face myriad faces of stress. True enough stress can give us positive effects thus unleashing the power within us to be productive while others can have negative impact thus making us harbor feelings of distress, depression, anxiety, anger, and most of all exhaustion. These negative effects can threaten, all the good things that we had earned through hard work, to go for naught.
There is no denying that stress is not permanent especially when it addressed with immediately when the early signs are obvious. However the effects can be permanent especially if it is taken for granted. The worst thing could happen is the toll it can take on the mental, physical, social, emotional, and the spiritual health of each one of us. Hence a personal stress management for one week is recommended.
A personal stress management for one week can give a person to reflect on how to cop e with stress. There are many approaches on how go about a personal stress management for one week. One of which is writing a daily journal on the things that stresses a person out. Making a journal can provide ample time to reflect on what really are the stressors that negatively affects his or her performance at work, relationship at home and in some other aspects of human spheres. A recollection of the things that transpired will help an individual determine the types of stress and their possible sources. Reflecting on them will likewise provide opportunity to think of possible means to cope with them.
Personal stress management for one week can also be done through a change of scenery, taking a break from the usual routine. Going on a personal retreat will definitely help recharge an individual with all the lost energies. Moreover it can give an individual a chance to get out break free from the bondage of monotony that his or her work and family relationship bring. Giving oneself a much deserved vacation and experience the best in life has to offer is one of the best antidote to the poison that stressed out life can give.
When you are feeling tired and totally drained, never ever think that its okay, because it may already be a good signal for you to recharge. It may also be the right time to take control of your life before stress controls you.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
5 Ways to Become More Likeable
Man is a social animal, as Aristotle once said. This want and need to belong and be accepted by others is what drives us to be civil toward others. In fact, there might be times when we want nothing but to see our intimidators get run over by a bus (yikes!) but we choose to endure the pressure and react in an amiable manner in order to merit niceties, as well. In order to achieve this kind of response from everyone we meet, we must strive to be likeable.
Now, likeability does not always entail that people will throw a party every time you come into the room. A person can be likeable yet not grandstanding. You don't really have to be popular to be one. All you need to do is adjust your attitude and outlook in life toward the positive. When you feel good about yourself and always look at the bright side of things, your likeability factor will naturally rise.
Here are five ways to become more likeable in any situation.
1) Think happy thoughts
According to Peter Pan, think happy thoughts and you will fly. This applies to your attitude toward the challenges that come your way. For instance, if you received low marks for your exam, don't think of it as the end of the world. Instead, be grateful it happened because it will motivate you to study harder and manage your time better next time. Behind every dark cloud is a silver lining. If you keep this as your mantra, you will never have to harbor depressing thoughts ever again.
2) Contribute something
Whether its a group project or a personal endeavor, contributing something of value, no matter how small makes a big difference. If you compare a person who always mutters about how difficult a task is and a person who acknowledges the difficulty but tries to lighten the mood by finding humor in the activity, you'd want to go with the latter, right? If you want to be likeable, don't put others down and bear more weight on a challenging activity.
3) Rein your insecurities in
There is none more annoying than a person who throws a pity party for himself or herself. Examples of insecure people are those who always have to be right at everything, those who always say 'just kidding' at the end of every comment, and those who do not know how to laugh at themselves and their mistakes. An insecure person is a crab. A crab is animal that brings everybody down when he or she is down. If you want to have more friends, don't be one. You don't have to apologize for everything you say with 'just kidding.'
4) Believe in what you are saying and stick to it
A person who keeps changing his or her opinion or merely mimics what other people are saying about a particular event or object not only has zero personality but a very low likeability rate, as well. You don't need to have an opinion about everything -- that would be equally annoying, but you don't need to say 'yes' to what others say either. You'll only end up looking like a desperate sycophant.
5) Avoid judging others
Finally, if you don't want to be judged, don't judge. First impressions might sometimes put you off but it pays to know the other person better than to immediately make conclusions about his or her character. Judgmental people, if you notice, are the ones who usually eat alone at the cafeteria because his or her colleagues are tired of hearing him or her point out the flaws of others. Surely you don't want to be this person.
Now, likeability does not always entail that people will throw a party every time you come into the room. A person can be likeable yet not grandstanding. You don't really have to be popular to be one. All you need to do is adjust your attitude and outlook in life toward the positive. When you feel good about yourself and always look at the bright side of things, your likeability factor will naturally rise.
Here are five ways to become more likeable in any situation.
1) Think happy thoughts
According to Peter Pan, think happy thoughts and you will fly. This applies to your attitude toward the challenges that come your way. For instance, if you received low marks for your exam, don't think of it as the end of the world. Instead, be grateful it happened because it will motivate you to study harder and manage your time better next time. Behind every dark cloud is a silver lining. If you keep this as your mantra, you will never have to harbor depressing thoughts ever again.
2) Contribute something
Whether its a group project or a personal endeavor, contributing something of value, no matter how small makes a big difference. If you compare a person who always mutters about how difficult a task is and a person who acknowledges the difficulty but tries to lighten the mood by finding humor in the activity, you'd want to go with the latter, right? If you want to be likeable, don't put others down and bear more weight on a challenging activity.
3) Rein your insecurities in
There is none more annoying than a person who throws a pity party for himself or herself. Examples of insecure people are those who always have to be right at everything, those who always say 'just kidding' at the end of every comment, and those who do not know how to laugh at themselves and their mistakes. An insecure person is a crab. A crab is animal that brings everybody down when he or she is down. If you want to have more friends, don't be one. You don't have to apologize for everything you say with 'just kidding.'
4) Believe in what you are saying and stick to it
A person who keeps changing his or her opinion or merely mimics what other people are saying about a particular event or object not only has zero personality but a very low likeability rate, as well. You don't need to have an opinion about everything -- that would be equally annoying, but you don't need to say 'yes' to what others say either. You'll only end up looking like a desperate sycophant.
5) Avoid judging others
Finally, if you don't want to be judged, don't judge. First impressions might sometimes put you off but it pays to know the other person better than to immediately make conclusions about his or her character. Judgmental people, if you notice, are the ones who usually eat alone at the cafeteria because his or her colleagues are tired of hearing him or her point out the flaws of others. Surely you don't want to be this person.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Eight Helpful Tips to Win the Battle of the Bulge
Do you have problems with weight gain?
Can’t seem to get enough of eating?
Is weight gain your main concern now?
Chances are you are one of the 1.2 billion people in the world who are having problems controlling their diet and weight. In the United States alone, 93 million Americans are classified as obese.
Losing weight is one of the most daunting tasks that a person can undergo. It requires a great amount of discipline and perseverance on the part of the obese person.
Some people have the tendency to go on a “crash” diet just to be able to get rid of those fats and calories. The bad news is dieting is just not effective in the long term. You will have to change your lifestyle, if you are bent on shaving off some weight.
If you are seriously considering reducing some pounds in your weight, read on.
1.Determine if there is a real need to lose weight. Look at your shape, height, weight, and history of obesity in your family. When was the last time you gained weight? Does obesity run in your family?
2.Evaluate your eating habits. Are you constantly starving or craving for food? If you are, you first need to learn how to eat in a normal pattern. Erratic eating habits and dieting may reduce your body metabolism causing you to starve and hoard food into your stomach.
3.Make a plan. Once you have set your mind on changing your pattern, you have to determine how to do that. You can choose the food you eat, the amount of food you ingest, or the physical regimen you will engage in. You can also seek the help of a dietitian.
4.Don’t aim to lose too much too quickly. Avoid getting the habit of losing weight at once. Don’t try to lose more than half a pound in just a week. Take it one pound a week. Make changes gradually.
5.Start with damage control. You can handle this task yourself. If you are not in-charge of the shopping chores, you can ask the one doing the shopping not to include chocolates or potato chips in the shopping list. Rather, opt for the low-calorie diet.
6.Don’t give up easily. Just because you failed and chose the wrong food one day doesn’t mean you should totally forget the weight loss issue. You can always start out the next day.
7.Reduce the fat. Cutting out on fatty foods is not only good for your figure but also for your health – you can lower your risk for heart diseases as well as cancer. Fatty foods eat up a lot of calories in your body. A gram of fat contains nine calories while a gram of protein or carbohydrates contains four.
8.Have a regular exercise. Exercise and other strenuous activities can burn out unwanted calories. However, it may also increase your metabolism so choose the right kind of exercise. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Ride the bicycle or do brisk walking.
Weight loss programs may provide empty promises. Taking into consideration these eight helpful tips may be the key to a genuine weight loss program.
Can’t seem to get enough of eating?
Is weight gain your main concern now?
Chances are you are one of the 1.2 billion people in the world who are having problems controlling their diet and weight. In the United States alone, 93 million Americans are classified as obese.
Losing weight is one of the most daunting tasks that a person can undergo. It requires a great amount of discipline and perseverance on the part of the obese person.
Some people have the tendency to go on a “crash” diet just to be able to get rid of those fats and calories. The bad news is dieting is just not effective in the long term. You will have to change your lifestyle, if you are bent on shaving off some weight.
If you are seriously considering reducing some pounds in your weight, read on.
1.Determine if there is a real need to lose weight. Look at your shape, height, weight, and history of obesity in your family. When was the last time you gained weight? Does obesity run in your family?
2.Evaluate your eating habits. Are you constantly starving or craving for food? If you are, you first need to learn how to eat in a normal pattern. Erratic eating habits and dieting may reduce your body metabolism causing you to starve and hoard food into your stomach.
3.Make a plan. Once you have set your mind on changing your pattern, you have to determine how to do that. You can choose the food you eat, the amount of food you ingest, or the physical regimen you will engage in. You can also seek the help of a dietitian.
4.Don’t aim to lose too much too quickly. Avoid getting the habit of losing weight at once. Don’t try to lose more than half a pound in just a week. Take it one pound a week. Make changes gradually.
5.Start with damage control. You can handle this task yourself. If you are not in-charge of the shopping chores, you can ask the one doing the shopping not to include chocolates or potato chips in the shopping list. Rather, opt for the low-calorie diet.
6.Don’t give up easily. Just because you failed and chose the wrong food one day doesn’t mean you should totally forget the weight loss issue. You can always start out the next day.
7.Reduce the fat. Cutting out on fatty foods is not only good for your figure but also for your health – you can lower your risk for heart diseases as well as cancer. Fatty foods eat up a lot of calories in your body. A gram of fat contains nine calories while a gram of protein or carbohydrates contains four.
8.Have a regular exercise. Exercise and other strenuous activities can burn out unwanted calories. However, it may also increase your metabolism so choose the right kind of exercise. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Ride the bicycle or do brisk walking.
Weight loss programs may provide empty promises. Taking into consideration these eight helpful tips may be the key to a genuine weight loss program.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Foot Care
Foot Care - Our feet keep us standing and allow us to reach all kinds of places. It is only necessary that we keep in mind some words of advice regarding the care of our feet.
Choose comfort over vanity. It is certainly flattering for our height to wear high-heeled shoes or sandals. However, it also places undue pressure on our heels and ankles, which are elevated and stretched at an angle, respectively. In fact, varicose veins and early rheumatism are highly attributable to high-heeled shoes. Because of this, such footwear must be reserved only for formal events and other gatherings in which high-heeled shoes are quite required.
The material of the footwear must also be considered for evaluation. The general rule is for the shoes to allow the feet to “breathe,” or at least ensure that the sweat is not kept inside but absorbed by socks. In this case, cotton sneakers are preferable over leather pumps.
Soft, smooth materials such as velvet, wool, and fleece must be chosen over hard, textured ones such as snakeskin or synthetic leather.
Keep the feet clean. Before wearing socks, be sure to wash the feet and pat them dry so as not to keep the dirt inside. This will stop the germs from proliferating. Before going to sleep, wash your feet, apply lotion, and wear socks to keep them smooth and soft. Occasionally, go to a foot spa or make an improvised one at home, using lukewarm water, two tablespoons of shampoo, and five tablespoons of liquid soap to scrape off the dirt which cannot be removed by daily bathing. Get nails cleaned thoroughly once in a while by using nail brush and soap at home. However, be careful not to wash them immediately after a long day of wearing rubber shoes or high heels, and definitely not after a strenuous activity that tires out the feet, such as driving, jogging, or walking. The feet must be allowed to rest before washing.
Maintain good physical health. Exercise. It is healthy to walk briskly for at least ten minutes a day to ensure a regular flow of blood not just in your feet, but also in the whole body. Moreover, eating a healthy diet will ascertain calcium for the bones in your feet and protein for your muscles. Maintaining a good posture is also beneficial since it eases the feet’s burden of supporting your whole body weight.
Choose comfort over vanity. It is certainly flattering for our height to wear high-heeled shoes or sandals. However, it also places undue pressure on our heels and ankles, which are elevated and stretched at an angle, respectively. In fact, varicose veins and early rheumatism are highly attributable to high-heeled shoes. Because of this, such footwear must be reserved only for formal events and other gatherings in which high-heeled shoes are quite required.
The material of the footwear must also be considered for evaluation. The general rule is for the shoes to allow the feet to “breathe,” or at least ensure that the sweat is not kept inside but absorbed by socks. In this case, cotton sneakers are preferable over leather pumps.
Soft, smooth materials such as velvet, wool, and fleece must be chosen over hard, textured ones such as snakeskin or synthetic leather.
Keep the feet clean. Before wearing socks, be sure to wash the feet and pat them dry so as not to keep the dirt inside. This will stop the germs from proliferating. Before going to sleep, wash your feet, apply lotion, and wear socks to keep them smooth and soft. Occasionally, go to a foot spa or make an improvised one at home, using lukewarm water, two tablespoons of shampoo, and five tablespoons of liquid soap to scrape off the dirt which cannot be removed by daily bathing. Get nails cleaned thoroughly once in a while by using nail brush and soap at home. However, be careful not to wash them immediately after a long day of wearing rubber shoes or high heels, and definitely not after a strenuous activity that tires out the feet, such as driving, jogging, or walking. The feet must be allowed to rest before washing.
Maintain good physical health. Exercise. It is healthy to walk briskly for at least ten minutes a day to ensure a regular flow of blood not just in your feet, but also in the whole body. Moreover, eating a healthy diet will ascertain calcium for the bones in your feet and protein for your muscles. Maintaining a good posture is also beneficial since it eases the feet’s burden of supporting your whole body weight.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Homo Nocturnos: Understanding Your Insomnia...
Have you met a homo nocturnos?
Maybe you meet him every night...
We have met those types during our college days – guys and girls who burned the midnight oil literally, not because they are the diligently studying, but because they just couldn't sleep.
They would flip over in bed from edge to edge, making annoying noises and disturbing our sleep, then they would get out of bed and turn the lights on, and create more annoying noises and an even greater disturbance.
The next day, these people get raccoon eyes and take pills with long and difficult to spell names. Who can claim that he has a life when he's losing sleep for no apparent reason? Even nocturnal animals like the night owl would certainly look unglamorous with raccoon eyes.
Most people get catatonic over the littlest things. Some do after ingesting mushrooms, chocolates, breads and pasta, beer, and other so-called poisons. It is probably the mold. To avoid insomnia, you can try avoiding such foods and answering crossword puzzles and the like.
Let us take the example of Linda, a young accountant. Her main problem is that she has preconditioned herself about insomnia. She says it has been that way since she was still in school, driven by her desire to be at the top of her class. She just had to study all night through. Eventually, the habit caught up with her and even though she has long left school, the sleeplessness remained.
Those who do the graveyard shift understandably look at insomnia as an advantage – they are paid for it. Other folks, likewise, would rather stay awake. Linda took advantage of it to graduate cum laude. Some people even go as far as justifying insomnia, calling sleep a waste of time because they do not really accomplish anything.
There is no exact pathophysiology for insomnia because it has a variety of causes. Extrinsic insomnia results from transient situation insomnia or inadequate sleep hygiene. Emotional stress triggers such type of insomnia. Then there is drug or alcohol dependent insomnia, altitude insomnia, restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, insomnia associated with mental disorders, and the list goes on.
There are no definite answers even from those who prescribe Valium, Dormicum, and Lexotan themselves, perhaps its time for extreme measures?
Hey, if you are really desperate, maybe breeding tse-tse flies could be the answer? You know, tse-tse flies… sleeping disease… Good luck!
Maybe you meet him every night...
We have met those types during our college days – guys and girls who burned the midnight oil literally, not because they are the diligently studying, but because they just couldn't sleep.
They would flip over in bed from edge to edge, making annoying noises and disturbing our sleep, then they would get out of bed and turn the lights on, and create more annoying noises and an even greater disturbance.
The next day, these people get raccoon eyes and take pills with long and difficult to spell names. Who can claim that he has a life when he's losing sleep for no apparent reason? Even nocturnal animals like the night owl would certainly look unglamorous with raccoon eyes.
Most people get catatonic over the littlest things. Some do after ingesting mushrooms, chocolates, breads and pasta, beer, and other so-called poisons. It is probably the mold. To avoid insomnia, you can try avoiding such foods and answering crossword puzzles and the like.
Let us take the example of Linda, a young accountant. Her main problem is that she has preconditioned herself about insomnia. She says it has been that way since she was still in school, driven by her desire to be at the top of her class. She just had to study all night through. Eventually, the habit caught up with her and even though she has long left school, the sleeplessness remained.
Those who do the graveyard shift understandably look at insomnia as an advantage – they are paid for it. Other folks, likewise, would rather stay awake. Linda took advantage of it to graduate cum laude. Some people even go as far as justifying insomnia, calling sleep a waste of time because they do not really accomplish anything.
There is no exact pathophysiology for insomnia because it has a variety of causes. Extrinsic insomnia results from transient situation insomnia or inadequate sleep hygiene. Emotional stress triggers such type of insomnia. Then there is drug or alcohol dependent insomnia, altitude insomnia, restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, insomnia associated with mental disorders, and the list goes on.
There are no definite answers even from those who prescribe Valium, Dormicum, and Lexotan themselves, perhaps its time for extreme measures?
Hey, if you are really desperate, maybe breeding tse-tse flies could be the answer? You know, tse-tse flies… sleeping disease… Good luck!
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Turbo Boost Your Brain Power
Finally, people are starting to understand!
Brains matter. Despite the negative stigma on the intelligent and “nerds”, society now understands that intelligence counts more than muscle power, especially in this day and age.
People want to develop brainpower these days. This is just not being smart in the sense of having tons of raw knowledge, but smart in the area where it matters - practical application.
Here are five tips you can do to increase brainpower and increase your mind's capacity to absorb and process information faster:
1) Choose supplements wisely
Yes, these actually do work. These may include memory-enhancement pills or anti-mental fatigue medications for adults, or the IQ enhancement milk supplements for children. A good number of these supplementary products out in the market can actually grant an edge to learning. Keeping a good balanced diet and avoiding cell-destroying vices, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and using illegal drugs, are also ways to avoid the mind’s deterioration over time.
2) Try speed-reading
This is a good way to bump up your learning curve. Speed-reading courses not only allow you to cover data faster; these also train your mind to pick up visual details at a greater rate.
Another good thing about learning to speed read is that you train your brain to pick up the important details on the written text. Contrary to claims of some self-help courses, you cannot learn to get photographic memory EVER! Speed-reading is the next best thing for those of who were not born with good memory.
3) Test yourself often!
Here is a good drill for enhancing your memory. A study conducted by several colleges separated students into two groups. One group was given 5 minutes to study a text, then they were immediately given three 5-minute tests. Another group was given four 5-minute periods to study the same text, but were not immediately given a test afterwards.
A week later, they were all given a test on the same subject. The group, which studied only once but took three tests, outperformed the group, which had studied the text 4 times over. The results are clear: don’t learn by just reading. Apply the knowledge and test yourself repeatedly.
4) Do some basic Math drills
Basic math drills using flashcards may seem like a grade school thing, but even adults can benefit from it. Let's face it, we are all spoiled by having calculators to do our addition and subtraction. At its core, math embodies the purest form of logic. Letting your basic math skills rot is like letting your logical and deductive reasoning take a similar downslide.
5) Take Abstract Logic Tests
There are test books available in bookstores that give extensive tests for abstract logic. These come with sets of 3 pictures and you have to extrapolate from the first three pictures what the fourth logical concluding picture will be.
Buy these books and do them all! Abstract logic may not directly help much in terms of "real" learning, but it actually improves your brain's deductive reasoning capacity.
Try any of these activities and boost your brainpower. Increase your mind's capacity to absorb and process information faster.
Brains matter. Despite the negative stigma on the intelligent and “nerds”, society now understands that intelligence counts more than muscle power, especially in this day and age.
People want to develop brainpower these days. This is just not being smart in the sense of having tons of raw knowledge, but smart in the area where it matters - practical application.
Here are five tips you can do to increase brainpower and increase your mind's capacity to absorb and process information faster:
1) Choose supplements wisely
Yes, these actually do work. These may include memory-enhancement pills or anti-mental fatigue medications for adults, or the IQ enhancement milk supplements for children. A good number of these supplementary products out in the market can actually grant an edge to learning. Keeping a good balanced diet and avoiding cell-destroying vices, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and using illegal drugs, are also ways to avoid the mind’s deterioration over time.
2) Try speed-reading
This is a good way to bump up your learning curve. Speed-reading courses not only allow you to cover data faster; these also train your mind to pick up visual details at a greater rate.
Another good thing about learning to speed read is that you train your brain to pick up the important details on the written text. Contrary to claims of some self-help courses, you cannot learn to get photographic memory EVER! Speed-reading is the next best thing for those of who were not born with good memory.
3) Test yourself often!
Here is a good drill for enhancing your memory. A study conducted by several colleges separated students into two groups. One group was given 5 minutes to study a text, then they were immediately given three 5-minute tests. Another group was given four 5-minute periods to study the same text, but were not immediately given a test afterwards.
A week later, they were all given a test on the same subject. The group, which studied only once but took three tests, outperformed the group, which had studied the text 4 times over. The results are clear: don’t learn by just reading. Apply the knowledge and test yourself repeatedly.
4) Do some basic Math drills
Basic math drills using flashcards may seem like a grade school thing, but even adults can benefit from it. Let's face it, we are all spoiled by having calculators to do our addition and subtraction. At its core, math embodies the purest form of logic. Letting your basic math skills rot is like letting your logical and deductive reasoning take a similar downslide.
5) Take Abstract Logic Tests
There are test books available in bookstores that give extensive tests for abstract logic. These come with sets of 3 pictures and you have to extrapolate from the first three pictures what the fourth logical concluding picture will be.
Buy these books and do them all! Abstract logic may not directly help much in terms of "real" learning, but it actually improves your brain's deductive reasoning capacity.
Try any of these activities and boost your brainpower. Increase your mind's capacity to absorb and process information faster.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
