Sunday, 26 July 2020

B.R.E.A.T.H.E. - Dealing With Stress In The Age Of COVID-19


Our world is riddled with fear and anxiety. Finances. Aargh! How will we pay the rent/mortgage or have money to pay for food when we're out of work? We're lonely and miss the times when we could be with our friends and family. If we have kids, we agonise over what kind of impact the lockdown is having on them, and if we'll survive home-schooling and 24/7/365 childcare. And then there's the very real possibility that we or our loved ones might come down with the virus.
When our brain is hijacked by so many strong emotions, it may seem that there is nothing we can do to diminish our fear or anxiety. Yet, there is a way to manage how we feel. To start, just breathe. Not only physically breathe, but use the B.R.EA.T.H.E. technique, as described below.
Breathe
Take three deep breaths, focusing purely on your breath as you inhale (through your nose if you can) on a count of 4, hold for a count of 3, then exhale (through your mouth if you can) on a count of 4. This technique is called a "pattern interrupt." Whenever an anxious thought creeps up, by focusing on your breathing for only a few moments, you will interrupt the pattern of panic or fearful emotions just long enough to calm down your racing mind, and your body's over-active flight/fight response.
Deep breathing relaxes your heartbeat and steadies you so you can get back to constructive thought. You know, the problem-solving variety, as opposed to the "Chicken Little the sky is falling" variety. So, the first step to control anxiety is to take three, slow, deliberate deep breaths whenever the need arises.
Reclaim Your Relationships
Reclaim your relationships with your family, your significant other, your children and your friends. If you're with your kids at home, see it as a positive even if they're loud and demanding sometimes (OK, always). Appreciate this "forced togetherness" and view it as a unique opportunity to grow close. The internet is full of ideas and resources that can help you cope with being together intensely under one roof.
In addition, make the effort to call, text and set up Zoom gatherings with extended family and friends. You need their support, and they need yours. Connection is more vital now than ever. Be creative. This is not a time to ignore the relationships that matter to you.
Express Your Emotions
Find a safe person, someone you can trust with your emotional life. Finding such a person and interacting with them regularly can be a critical way of easing your anxiety. This can be a counsellor, a minister, or a healthcare worker, for example. It's tempting to unload on your BFF, but a professional is better equipped to deal with your fears and anxiety on an ongoing basis.
A good alternative - or adjunct - is to express your emotions in a private journal. Journaling gives you the opportunity to express your innermost feelings. It's your safe and private place to talk about the stresses you're feeling. Journaling can be cathartic since you're no longer holding your feelings inside. You don't have to be a writer to journal. You can scribble nonsense on a pad, rage all over your keyboard, and be as ungrammatical as you like. Journaling is a release, not an exercise in either penmanship or prose.
Aim Your Focus
When we're in the midst of a crisis, the tendency is to allow our focus to drift back to the cause of your anxiety again and again. It keeps you up at night. All night. Not good for your health! Besides, rehashing your troubles endlessly only succeeds in making you more anxious, more stressed, more out of control.
Deliberately, purposefully aim your focus. When you find yourself drifting into useless worry or questioning, take charge and do your best to problem-solve. Be a MacGyver, get intrigued by what you can accomplish with what's at hand, here and now, rather than sweating over what you can't, obsessively.
Transform Your Negative Thoughts
Closely related to aiming your focus is transforming your negative thoughts. Be alert to when your thoughts veer into negative thinking. Reframe them into more positive statements.
So, for example, "I've been laid off, it's horrible, how am I ever going to survive this?" can be reframed to "I've been laid off, OK, I'm not the only person experiencing this. I'm good at what I do, I will bounce back. I've applied for unemployment. That will help."
Above all, be sincere. Don't lie to yourself "Oh, it's all going to be fine," may eventually be true, but if that's not what you believe in the here and now, don't say it. One of my favourite reframes is "We're one day closer to normal." That, for me, has the ring of truth.
Heal Your Body
Pay attention to the physical manifestations of anxiety or stress. Stick with a healthy routine. Don't overeat or over drink. Don't let the refrigerator or the drinks cabinet be your "go-to" when really you're simply bored. Boredom is much better alleviated with exercise, or reading, or some kind of productive work than with munching your way through the day.
Make sure you are getting enough sleep, since good sleep is one of the body's best restorative tools. Given that sleep can be difficult when you're stressed, consider using one of the calming meditations readily available online, usually for free, to help lull you into sleep.
Get rid of your anxious thoughts before you turn the lights out: toss them into an imaginary wastebasket. Follow that up with writing down a list of everything you were grateful for that day, and let those be the thoughts you carry with you into slumber.
Exercise
You love working out at the gym-but the gym is closed. You look forward to your weekly game of tennis with your friends-but the gate to tennis courts is locked. Don't make the excuse of not exercising because exercise options are no longer available. Exercise at home-there are multitudinous YouTube exercise videos of all kinds. I've found enough ballet barre videos to keep me going for quite a while! Exercise is not only good for your body, it releases endorphins that help you get into a more positive, calmer, less anxious frame of mind.
Wash your hands, observe social distancing, wear that mask, and B.R.E.A.T.H.E.! Hopefully we'll all meet together on the flip side of COVID-19, having weathered this challenging time successfully.
Noelle C. Nelson, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, consultant, popular speaker in the U.S. and abroad, and author of over a dozen best-selling books. Dr. Nelson focuses on how we can all enjoy happy, fulfilling lives while accomplishing great things in love, at home and at work, as we appreciate ourselves, our world and all others. She is the author of "Happy Healthy... Dead: Why What You Think You Know About Ageing Is Wrong and How To Get It Right" (MindLab Publishing). You Matter. You Count. You Are Important. Visit http://www.noellenelson.com, https://www.facebook.com/MeetTheAmazings.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10289731

Friday, 17 July 2020

Remember "Why"


"He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how" -Friedrich Nietzsche
Have you ever been in a situation where you carry on with your life, perhaps you have a job, you get up every morning go to work, come back to your family and carry this on for a year or two and all of a sudden one day on a lonely day or a quite day you feel empty and ask yourself "Why, What and Who?" Why do you do the things you do? What do you live for? Who are you? and what do you really what to accomplish. Such a feeling of emptiness and questioning yourself is usually a self-reflection point in your life. Life can become a routine and at times we live on autopilot every day and forget the purpose regarding our lives. This in a long term or even short term can leave us feeling empty without hope.
I would like to remind you to be purposeful about the intent of your life. Remember why you are where you are and you do what you do. Why you have your spouse as a life partner, remember the reasons you had that made you feel that they are suitable to live life with you, why you feel important about your children and what you would like them to accomplish in life and what you would like to teach them. The most important person is you, what is your purpose, how would you like to be remembered in this life, what would you like to contribute. Having this form of self-reflection can help you live life with a sense of purpose and more intent. This will help you live happier and fulfilled. When you feel happier and fulfilled you are more likely to pursue and achieve your life goals.
Get up each day remembering why you do the things you do. Take time to meditate on your life, this will give you energy and the enthusiasm to pursue your dreams. Without remembering "why" you risk living a life that at times can feel purposeless. Without purpose, as human beings we are doomed to give up on everything and feel unhappier. Find your why, reach your goals and live a fulfilling life.The best time to start is not an hour later or tomorrow, start now.
Remember to remain inspired, to move all obstacles standing in your way of success and do not dare give up on yourself or your dreams.
Phillip Ramphisa is the most sought after South African Motivational Speaker and Philanthropist. He helps people and organisations achieve their goals faster than they thought possible. His life mission is to end suffering and help people thrive in their lives. Phillip speak in conferences and events. To contact him please visit http://www.phillipramphisa.com
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Sunday, 12 July 2020

Begin Your Day With Morning Affirmations



Folks are always researching ways to motivate themselves to be the greatest they can be. Given that they want ways that they may accomplish this easily, they like to ensure that they can be doing the things which they may to produce their lives better. Successful people are always researching ways to boost the probability of improving a lot more.
What Are Morning Affirmations?
The affirmations are something you do and say each morning while you are getting ready for your personal day. They are statements which can be positive so that you can to utilise them to fuel your energy and concentrate in the daytime. Many individuals find that they feel better whenever they take advantage of the affirmations consistently each and every day.
Exactly Why Are Morning Affirmations Healthy For You?
Using morning affirmations is shown to make people have a far more positive attitude towards life on the whole. They could improve how they perceive themselves and exactly how they search to others. It enables them to gain confidence to ensure they are able to venture out in to the world and carry out the things that they need to do within a successful manner.
Where Should You Really Do Your Morning Affirmations?
When you should do your morning affirmations, it is possible to select from a number of possibilities. You can even mix them up too for each day of the week. Daily, you will notice that there can be an exclusive place or time that you intend to make use of affirmations. You can find no rules that you need to go by but you might need some suggestions to assist you. Read about some possibilities that you might want to use:
1. Mirror - You are able to say your affirmations to yourself or aloud facing a mirror when you are getting ready for the day. Be sure that you take advantage of the mirror in the positive manner instead of to pick out apart your image.
2. Bed - Lots of people like in which to stay bed a bit longer because they are saying their affirmations. It's essential to not fall to sleep as you are saying them.
3. Shower Or Bath - When you are within the shower or maybe the bath when you are starting the day, it is advisable to make sure that you know that one could say your affirmations. This is amongst the easiest ways to fit within your affirmations.
4. Breakfast - You can also say your affirmations while you are eating your breakfast. It's also possible to do this when you are rendering it and cleaning through your morning meal.
5. Dressing - If it's simpler for you to state your affirmations while you are dressing, then, by all means, do so. The point is that you want to express them sooner or later before every day begins.
6. About The Toilet - Some individuals learn that on a commode is an excellent time and energy to say theirs. Because they don't take much time, this is possible.
7. Morning Walk - In the event you walk or run in the morning, you really should say your affirmations at this point. While you are outside in nature is a marvelous time to give yourself a good commence to your entire day.
8. Trash - Taking out the garbage is a great time and energy to say your affirmations. Take a little extra time when you find yourself outside too with really reinforcing the positive statements that you tell yourself.
9. On Path To Work - Many people say their affirmations on path to work. They learn that it can help a lot before they go into accomplish business.
Do Morning Affirmations Cost Money?
No, there is absolutely no cost to using morning affirmations. Perhaps, this is basically the best basis for making use of them. There is no need to invest a dime in doing something which will truly boost your life. The affirmations will allow you to start every day off about the right foot allowing you to have the very best possibility of rendering it a hit.
How To Find Out Your Morning Affirmations
OK, you wish to begin using affirmations every morning and that is great. You may wonder how to begin the whole process of writing them. Keep in mind, you will need to have some kind of notebook that you can jot down your affirmations.
You will in all probability want several of them and writing them down will assist you to talk about them every once in awhile. There is no must memorise them even if you probably will as you rely on them a growing number of. Here are 10 things to be aware of that may help you in writing your affirmations for excellent success:
1. Short - You want to make certain that you have affirmations which can be short. Long ones might be too complicated to perform, especially while you are just starting out your entire day. Proceed through every day and note the most important thing to you personally to operate on for positive changes. They are the issues that you should concentrate on inside your affirmations.
2. Positive - The affirmations that you use should invariably be positive. You would like to create good energy that you could keep with you through the day. The positive vibes will allow you to gain the strength that you need to get through the day to see improvements. Eliminate the negative areas of your affirmations and through your day altogether.
3. I Statements - Utilising the affirmations is centred on you. You would like to begin your affirmations with all the word I and go from there. Tend not to let others explain to you what your affirmations are until you request their input. In many instances, you will still need to make it more personal to your situation.
4. Present Tense - The affirmations needs to be written in the present tense. You will be trying to puzzle out what you can do today. You do not need to have affirmations which are for the past or future because you are paying attention to exactly what is happening along with you in the here now.
5. Be Sensible - Be sure that your affirmations are realistic. You would like to make sure that you may succeed at them on a regular basis. You may not desire to put excessive pressure on yourself so go at a pace that may be comfortable for your self when you find yourself setting almost any goal.
6. Simplify - Don't complicate your daily life with confusing affirmations. Ensure that you have them as basic as possible. There are several simple things that you could focus on as a way to see great improvements in a short time. What this means is, the less drama, the more effective. Use simple wording within your affirmations to stay focused.
7. Goals - Consider your goals when you are writing out your affirmations. They ought to be goals that you could achieve immediately. You are going to generally have goals that you want to accomplish. Be sure that you leave the long-range ones initially from the affirmation process.
8. Mood - To get rid of bad feelings, you will need to counteract them. If there is something negative in your lifetime, transform it around into a better strategies your statements. Create positive results within your statements to help you accomplish many things.
9. Descriptive - Be sure that the affirmations are descriptive. Use emotional words to convey more ability to the statements. Make use of your imagination with your affirmations so that you can create the process for morning affirmations far more fun too.
10. Honest - Always get in the habit of utilising honesty inside your statements. You would like them to become direct so that you can gain positive energy from them. Gaining momentum from the statements will result in the improvements you are interested in so be as honest as possible be.
The Achievements Morning Affirmations
Since there are lots of testimonials of individuals using affirmation each morning, you can expect to become one too. Much like everything else, you need to get used to making use of them each day. As soon as you develop a good practice of saying these matters to yourself every morning, you will notice the outcome quickly.
25 Morning Affirmations For You To Use
Everyone can have an alternative set of affirmations that can work the most effective for these people. You ought to take the time to find ones that will be successful for you. Be sure that they fit in with those things that you need to use your entire day consistently. Listed here is a listing of 25 great morning affirmations to help you started:
1. I am capable of handling what comes my way.
2. I am highly successful with what I truly do.
3. I am willing to handle all of my problems.
4. I am going to get on with other individuals.
5. I will come up with a success of my workday.
6. I am going to accomplish my own responsibilities today.
7. I am going to do something nice for someone else today.
8. I am a capable person.
9. I am just a sensible person.
10. I will consistently remain as healthy because I can.
11. I will figure out issues with others in my life within a positive way.
12. I will guarantee that my finances are to be able in the simplest way which I can.
13. I am going to ask for help basically if I require it.
14. I will take care of myself physically.
15. I am going to eat healthily and remain fit.
16. I am going to be kind and nice for some other people.
17. I am going to be honest and comply with the laws always.
18. I will succeed at what I need to do.
19. I am going to find friends that are ideal for me.
20. I will look and feel good always.
21. I have got the courage to tackle things that come my way.
22. I understand that everything works out for the very best.
23. I am just a remarkable person that is strong.
24. I am an enthusiastic person that loves life.
25. I make positive changes to better myself.
Thinking Up More Affirmations For Yourself
As you go using your day, you can find more affirmations that you can use. Ensure that you jot them down in your notebook. It's smart to carry your notebook in your purse, bag or briefcase wherever you go. You may always need to have a pen and paper to publish them down the instant you think of them. Many people likewise use their cellular phones, laptops or tablets to jot across the affirmations because they visit them when they are out and about.
When You Get A Good System Yourself - Stick With It
Once you have your affirmations written out and also you develop your personal design of completing them, you will want to stick with them. The greater number of that you simply do them, the greater they may work. It's also habit-forming so repeatedly performing your routine will enable you to make use of affirmations automatically. Every day is going to be wonderful once you start it out saying your affirmations to yourself.
More Success With Affirmations
People that use affirmations will discover an incredible improvement in their lives. You may even would like to say them during your day as well as at night too for that ultimate results. It never hurts to say them more, particularly if you are having a negative day, which we all do sometimes. Say them whenever you must as well as the results will keep improving.
Using positive affirmations in the morning helps lots of people. Once you start to fit these into the daily routine, you will begin to see achievement. Ensure that you make time to start your morning affirmations at the earliest opportunity so that you will be able to reap the rewards that they will offer to you personally.
Learn more about Morning Affirmations at https://manifestinginstantly.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10203463

Sunday, 5 July 2020

A Success Formula


As a world athlete I have been asked how I did it. In a nutshell I worked at it. I am not any more talented than any one of the people I coach; I just had the ability to focus my attention for longer periods of time. This comes in real handy when training and being able to stick with a program.
I do have a curious nature and an inquiring mind which led me to wonder just how good I could get at my sport. Turns out that by using The Formula For Success in the book "Quantum Rules" and paddling... a lot... I did get good enough!
The first things I did was create a strong vision of my future self in a reality I was willing to work towards. I then set goals and worked the formula in a steadfast process. Today I share this process and MY understanding of how we use energy to reach our goals.
In Quantum physics there is the idea of many future realities one can choose. All these realities exist but the ones that get and keep our attention are the ones we bring into our focus. When we understand this we have the ability to direct our thoughts to create our reality and our future selves existing in this reality. Sounds easy enough, right? But why is it that so many of us struggle with it? For me personally, it was when I understood the idea of quantum realities being a flow of my mental, physical, emotional and spiritual energy capacities that I was able to discipline and direct my own energy.
When energy is scattered it has no flow pattern and without a flow it does not have the momentum required to create a strong current, or flow. The goal is to organise, coordinate and direct energy to create a strong current and flow pattern. It's easy to be busy and have tons of energy but it is when we use energy wisely that we get specific intended results.
If we take the example of our thoughts we can see how this can relate to our ability to bring about the reality we desire. It is the choosing of thoughts that gets our attention. We know thoughts create, but it's when we know how they create we can become masters of intention! For example; if we choose our thoughts we are organising them.
When we can coordinate these thoughts we create focus, and, focus and attention become a clear intention. Intention is a stronger currency of energy that just focus or attention on their own. This can be somewhat related to what Wayne Dyer referred to in his book "The Power of Intention".
Now, if we can direct our intention towards a specific outcome or goal, it becomes a pattern of flow that carries the energy of our minds into our future reality. We've all experienced this energy flow at times when we say, "go with the flow" or "It was electrifying" or "I was in the moment". It's that feeling when energy lines up and we are swept away in it. It is an awesome experience of being connected with something bigger than ourselves and feeling at one in it and with it.
I have heard many athletes describe this experience as "being in the zone". I myself have been on a dragon boat where all bodies are moving together in complete synchronicity making the boat feel like it's gliding on top of the water. These moments feel out of body as our minds direct our movements with precision and accuracy making it almost effortless. It's magical, addictive and we all strive for it.
So how do we get it and how do we keep it? We work at it. Another component in The Formula For Success is hard work. It takes effort, practice and continued persistence to train the thoughts of the mind to move in this organized and coordinated path towards our goals. It is not rocket science but understanding the science of energy flow patterns may give you the key to managing your mindset and create the reality of your future self!
In closing, I hope I didn't offend the scientists of quantum physics and forgive me I did not relay these ideas accurately. It is my hope to offer some clarity for us regular folks who share the love of science and continue to do our best to use it in our mundane existence.
Article Source: https://ezinearticles.com/?A-Success-Formula&id=10236758