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Noticing Nature In The Now

  • Posted on July 1, 2009 at 10:12 pm

When did you take the time to notice how much your immediate environment impacts upon your sense of well-being? Most of us are too busy these days to notice the things which are vitally important to our equilibrium. And so it is no wonder that so many people suffer from stress and anxiety, and lack a feeling of balance and groundedness. We do things on a “need to do” basis and yet do not consider what should be our most basic needs.

We do not, after all, live in a “vacuum”. We are constantly affected by a steady stream of sensory input. We see, hear, smell, taste and feel our way through life, and our minds are so quick and bright that they make sense of this input in a fraction of a second. Without realizing it our energy levels are affected by every tiny little bit of this sensory perception. Each sound vibrates with its own frequency of energy, and we receive energy signals from all around us.

If you spend a lot of time in a hectic or negative environment you will be picking up on this energy and will eventual adjust to resonate with it. It is not surprising that it becomes easy to feel “out of sync” or “out of kilter”. Your own energy is in effect being pushed off balance, away from your norm, away from a feeling of equilibrium. You can feel like a small sailing boat being buffeted by a storm. The choices one has when caught in a storm are limited; you could take the sail down and ride the storm out, or perhaps your boat has a powerful engine which can take you safely back to shore, or perhaps you no longer have the presence of mind to think straight and thus leave your sails up…

Everyone needs balance and internally craves to be in a place where they can feel comfortable and grounded. Yes, we need to step outside our comfort zones in order to grow and develop. But was also need to be able to return to a feeling of peace and tranquility. Our energy needs to be replenished from time to time, and an easy way in which to do this is to take a walk in beautiful surroundings, in the fresh air, amongst growing plants, flowers and trees. The energy from these natural growing and flourishing leaves and petals will reach out to you and you will instinctively resonate with it. And it’s not only the energy from the plants that you will benefit from, it’s the quality of natural light from being outside, the feeling of sunlight on your skin, the peaceful way in which water moves to and fro. All of this has an inevitable power to relax and relieve your stresses and strains.

The simple fact is that the things which are natural in our environment have the power to recharge our energy and revive us. Things which are unnatural can never quite imitate this natural reaction. If you are feeling “out of sorts” you can try a simple thing – go for a walk, somewhere in the countryside if at all possible, and intentionally notice everything around you. Take each of your senses in turn and notice what comes into your awareness. Really notice every moment – be “in the now”. In doing this you are achieving more than you may think was possible. Firstly, you are directing your focus upon nature and in doing so you will feel greater impact from the energy this provides. And secondly, as your attention is absorbed “in the now” you are effectively distracting yourself from worries, tensions or fears.

It may take some effort on your part to keep your attention focused in the now, but you will get better with practice. You can also obtain hypnosis downloads which will speed up this process and make it more and more automatic for you. Another benefit of hypnosis downloads is that you can mentally “go for a walk” when you are unable to do so in physical reality. Hypnosis is a state which allows greater ability to imagine things and you can visualize a perfect natural landscape and in effect create a “mental holiday” for yourself. Hypnosis is a state of relaxation and allows you to take a step back, enabling you to get back “in sync” and bring balance back into your life.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis downloads for your well-being.

With a degree in psychology and qualifications in hypnotherapy, NLP and sports psychology, Roseanna Leaton is one of the leading practitioners of self-improvement. You can get a free hypnosis download from http://www.RoseannaLeaton.com and peruse her extensive library of hypnosis downloads

Article Source: Noticing Nature In The Now

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The Best Ways To Reduce Stress And Anxiety

  • Posted on July 1, 2009 at 10:12 pm

Dad, is it OK if we have a quick chat? I always have time for you son, you know that. Thanks Dad, well as you know and can no doubt hear I have this stuttering problem and it is causing me all kinds of problems. I am often stressed out and anxious as I constantly fear the fact that I am going to stutter when speaking to people. I just want to be able to relax, smile and be happy – in the same way that other people do. Son, I realise it is tough for you and I will do everything that I can to help. Thanks Dad, it is much appreciated.

The above is a conversation that I had with my father when I was aged fifteen. My whole family had been a massive support for me since the age of four which is the age when I developed the stutter.

My dad did manage to help me to reduce the amount that I stressed. He did this by taking me to specialists and by bringing home books about the subjects of stress, anxiety, depression, confidence and self-esteem from the library.

This helped to understand that I should appreciate the things that I have in life rather than always focusing on the things that I haven’t.

I should approach life with a positive, I can do, attitude and that the words “I can’t” do not exist.

Where I am not happy with a particular aspect of my life I need to work hard to try to improve the situation.

I should not accept second best in life as to do so would be to accept failure.

I have been doing these things for a long time now and I have to say that the difference it has made to my life has been incredible. It also helped me to overcome the stutter when I was aged twenty-two.

Steve Hill is a webmaster from Birmingham, he has interests in a number of websites including:
stuttering information
lower call charges
DVD replication

Article Source: The Best Ways To Reduce Stress And Anxiety

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Does Travel Cause You Back Pain? – Here’s How to Avoid It…

  • Posted on July 1, 2009 at 10:12 pm

The old saying goes: “Vacations are fun, but traveling is a pain in the neck!” Actually, traveling can be an even bigger pain in the back.

The stress of making plans, packing the essentials, getting to the airport on time, waiting to check in and the whole security scenario really pack a tough one-two psychological punch to the low back.

Then there’s the physical stress and strain of lifting bags, dragging them through the parking lots and airport, carrying all those over-stuffed carry-ons with gifts and paperbacks.

But the number one complaint by plain, train and automobile travelers – when describing the onset of their back pain – is sitting for too long. Airplanes and even trains advertise that their seats were ergonomically designed by specialists to properly support to low back and neck during travel. But I know the one’s I sit in feel horrible. And it’s not only me… people complain about them all the time, and their continuous pain gives them fair reason.

Luckily, the pain associated with travel can be greatly reduced, and in many cases avoided, with these simple tips:

- To reduce stress-induced muscle cramping and pain in the neck, shoulders and low back, it is advisable to plan your trip well in advance, pack two days before, load suitcases in the car the night before, use online check-in to reserve your seat, and check your bags at the curb. These seemingly little things can reduce the stress and anxiety of rushing around, waiting in lines, and dragging bags. If planned and executed well, the low back pain associated with stress can be avoided.

- Only pack what is absolutely necessary for your carry on. Each family member gets one carry on, plus a purse (for ladies). To avoid the neck and shoulder strain of lugging these around, and of trying to place them into and remove them from the overhead compartment, the lighter the better.

- The poor seating designs of most travel vehicles cause back pain due to incorrect support of the spine, and forward pitching of the shoulders. To avoid this, always bring a small pillow, or use one that is offered and place it behind your low back or neck for support. If I can’t find an in-flight pillow to use, I will roll up my jacket or even the inflight magazines, and use them as supports. Seated posture is so important for preventing strain to the spine, and pain to the neck, shoulders and low back that by whatever means… find and use a support.

- Be sure to remain well hydrated during your travel time. One of the most basic, yet common, causes of pain is dehydration. Not having enough fluid in the body to keep the body cool, the blood moving, the muscles supple and the tendons relaxed. Not only must you drink plenty of water, but you must also avoid coffee, tea and soda during travel, as these all cause you to sweat, urinate… to dehydrate.

- If you are taking a long drive, train ride or flight, be sure to get up and move every hour. Simply standing up for a few minutes and doing some light stretching, twisting or bending will help keep you limber, relaxed and the blood moving in and out of the muscles. And when the blood does not move or moves too slowly, the muscles and tendons become tight and painful!

- And lastly, be sure that when lifting bags, holding children and reaching for items that you plant your feet flat for support and bend from the knees. Incorrect lifting or over-reaching for items is one of the most common causes of back pain… and one of the easiest to avoid.

Travel does not have to be as stressful or painful as many of us make it out to be. If we plan well, execute well and take care of our bodies while in transit… the trip will be painless. And what better way to relax on vacation or arrive on business after travel, than stress free, hydrated, supple and… pain free!

Dr Wiley is Editorial Manager at The Healthy Back Institute. For more FREE back pain articles and videos, go to http://www.losethebackpain.com/backpainvideos.html

Article Source: Does Travel Cause You Back Pain? – Here’s How to Avoid It…

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Be Positive And Look For Good Solutions On How To Improve Relationships – It Isn’t Hard!

  • Posted on July 1, 2009 at 9:06 pm

Are you leaving home in the morning, having had a disagreement with your spouse or partner, and want to know how to improve relationships with them?

How many times have we been unhappy, and not expressed ourselves in a way that communicates our feelings to the other person, so they understand how we feel? Being honest with ourselves we recognize that it happens more than we want it to happen.

Does it have to be that way. Good advice is plentiful. What we have to do is make ourselves aware that improving relationships is simply a case of finding solutions to problems, so finding solutions are really worth looking for. When we want to improve relationships with those we care about, love and respect is to find solutions so we can feel happier.

Can professionals help us? Yes, sometimes they can. In seeking their advice we too often think that they have some, or all of the answers. How many times does the advice we receive take us in the direction of what is wrong, rather what is right in our marriage or partnership.

So, the question is: at what cost can we improve relationships? We need to remember that there are other downsides to seeking counseling?

Well, the major downside is probably cost. Some professionals charge an absolute fortune. The meter is running and costing us, potentially, a lot of money as soon as we enter the room! So, whilst their advice may be sound, the meter ticks beyond our personal financial budget. Financial costs will, sometimes, cause us to be reluctant to seek out relationship advice.

if we look there are cheaper and more readily accessible ways. Sometimes we can find the information we want simply by pressing a button. Today we can use the power of the Internet revolution to glean really sound advice, without having to dip our hands to deeply in our pockets.

The key to improving relationships can be bring us less stress and anxiety if we seek out the right information. There are “gold nuggets” to be found if we know where to look. Avoiding a breakup in our relationship is something we can do something about, if we just seek out and follow the advice we are given.

Being more romantic with our spouse or partner can be a simple solution, if we know how. Romance is not very easy when we’ve been having a tough time and reigniting that ‘spark’ can be difficult.

Money related matters often have an impact on our relationships, especially when the economy is in recession; sometimes our jobs or careers can be the cause of friction and cause problems. There are times when our work takes over and we then arrive home later than we wanted to, and this is often a cause of friction.

Is it our sex life that’s causing problems? How bad it is can be improved, if we seek good advice! We all know that we’d like our sex life to be the way it used be in the early days – when we couldn’t get enough of each other! Focusing on improving our sex lives is a way of improving relationships… staying together can be the key and save us from relationship breakdown -.

Living stress-free lives and being happy and fulfilled is not that difficult if we know some of the secrets. Perhaps the route to getting good advice is finding books that have more knowledge on how to resolve our relationship problems.

Finding ways is often easier if we seek out help from those who can give us good advice.

Taking action is often best when you are motivated… and this link might just be the key to help you overcome your relationship issues: www.relationship-secrets.com

Article Source: Be Positive And Look For Good Solutions On How To Improve Relationships – It Isn’t Hard!

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How to Stop Panic Attacks by Remembering They Cannot Harm You

  • Posted on July 1, 2009 at 7:36 pm

How to stop panic attacks sounds easy enough when you hear or read what folks tell you. But in reality, during a panic attack, it’s very hard to re-order your thoughts to stop the attack. During panic attacks, you are so overpowered by physical and emotional stress and anxiety that it’s very difficult to organise your mind and do the things that you have been taught.

The first thing to remember is that panic attacks in themselves cannot harm you: your life is not in danger. The symptoms you are experiencing are your body’s way of reacting, in the way it knows how, to ‘perceived’ threats to it. But these threats are all in your head, they aren’t real.

In other words, the tightness in your chest and throat, the rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, sweating, the feeling that you are having a heart attack, etc. are you body’s natural reactions to the illogical, irrational fear and vulnerability that you are experiencing.

The trigger for it could have been the stress of going for a job interview, making a presentation, being stuck in traffic, in a lift, and many other situations. The stress of this on top of an already anxious condition can help trigger a panic attack due to the release of adrenaline into your bloodstream. And this can happen many hours after the event.

So how to stop panic attacks under these circumstances? It sounds easier than it actually is — I know, I’ve been there — but you must try very hard to do the following…

1. Be confident and think positively: “I know my life is not in danger and I know for sure that these symptoms will go away very shortly”.

2. Breath deeply and steadily: Controlled breathing can help to calm you down and reduce your heart rate. It’s also a good idea to exhale for slightly longer than you inhale. This pattern may help you relax more quickly.

3. If you have had a panic attack previously you may be able to recognise the first signs. Depending on location and circumstances etc., stop what you are doing, walk away, focus on something completely different, relax. Remember, think positively and control your breathing as above.

However, none of the above can actually get rid of your underlying general anxiety. They are purely coping techniques to help you through a panic attack and hopefully shorten it. They cannot prevent further panic attacks and certainly cannot cure your general anxiety.

Did you know that a critical factor in recurrent panic attacks is the actual fear of another panic attack? You need to face this fear head on and defeat it. If not it can be very difficult, if not impossible, to cure your general anxiety.

Would you like to get more information on how to stop panic attacks in the future using a simple, proven drug-free technique? Then go now to http://eliminatepanicattacks.blogspot.com and prepare to get your old confident self back.

Article Source: How to Stop Panic Attacks by Remembering They Cannot Harm You

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